‘The Hindu’ News The Evening Wrap 08 April 2024

The Evening Wrap

08 April 2024

Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu.

Delhi Police detains Trinamool Congress leaders protesting outside Election Commission of India’s office
Trinamool Congress leaders were detained by Delhi Police on April 8 while they were holding a dharna outside the Election Commission’s office, demanding that the chiefs of CBI, NIA, ED and Income Tax Department be changed.

A 10-member delegation of the Trinamool Congress had announced the dharna after meeting a full bench of the Election Commission (EC) to press their demand. TMC MPs Derek O’Brien, Mohammed Nadimul Haque, Dola Sen, Saket Gokhale and Sagarika Ghose, MLA Vivek Gupta, former MPs Arpita Ghosh, Santanu Sen and Abir Ranjan Biswas, and party’s students’ wing West Bengal vice president Sudip Raha were detained. The party has been alleging that the central probe agencies have been targeting opposition parties at the behest of the BJP-led Centre.

“The BJP is misusing central agencies against us. The way NIA, ED and CBI are working and targeting TMC leaders is shameful. We would request the EC to ensure a level playing field for all political parties,” Sen told reporters at the Kolkata airport before leaving for New Delhi.

The TMC alleged on April 7 an “unholy alliance” between the NIA and the BJP ahead of elections, prompting the central investigating agency to deny any mala fide intention and label the entire controversy as “unfortunate”.

A team of the NIA was allegedly attacked by a mob on April 6 when it went to arrest two main suspects in a 2022 blast case in West Bengal’s Purba Medinipur district, sparking a political slugfest with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accusing the investigators of assaulting the villagers.

This is not a ‘contest’, several States coming to court against Union, says Supreme Court
The Supreme Court said a steady stream of States are compelled to approach it against the Centre while cautioning the Union government against entering into a “contest” with water-starved Karnataka over its request for drought relief.

“Let there be no contest here between the Union and the State… We are seeing various State governments having to appear in court,” Justice B.R. Gavai, heading the Bench, addressed Attorney General R. Venkataramani and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, both appearing for the Union government.

Recently, the Tamil Nadu government accused the Centre in the Supreme Court of treating the people of the State in a “step-motherly” fashion by delaying the release of disaster relief funds to the tune of nearly ₹38,000 crore to help tide over the twin calamities of cyclone Michaung and unprecedented floods in the State’s southern districts. Likewise, Kerala filed a first-of-its-kind suit directly in the apex court, blaming the Centre for arbitrarily interfering in its net borrowing limits, pushing the State to the brink of a financial emergency.

Karnataka said its request for financial relief from the Centre to tide over a “grave humanitarian crisis” has hit a wall. The State had sought ₹18,171.44 crore under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) six months ago, only to be met with silence. The total estimated loss due to crop damage in the State is ₹35,162.05 crore, the petition said.

The State, represented by advocate D.L. Chidananda, said it is reeling under severe drought, affecting the lives of its people. “For the Kharif 2023 season (the season starts in June and ends in September), a total of 223 out of 236 taluks are declared as drought-affected, with 196 taluks categorised as severely affected and the remaining 27 categorised as moderately affected. Karnataka as a whole recorded -56% deficit rainfall in June, which was the third lowest in the last 122 years for the State,” the State said.

The State government had submitted three drought relief memoranda under various heads, including ₹4,663.12 crore towards crop loss input subsidy, ₹12,577.9 crore for gratuitous relief to families whose livelihood has been seriously affected due to drought, ₹566.78 crore for addressing shortage of drinking water relief, and ₹363.68 crore towards cattle care.

“The state is duty bound to affirmatively protect the fundamental rights of its people guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India… The action of the Central government in denying the financial assistance to the State is ex facie violative of the fundamental rights of the people of Karnataka guaranteed under Articles 14 (right to equality), 21 (right to life) of the Constitution,” the State of Karnataka said in its petition.

The State argued that the action of the Centre was violative of the statutory scheme of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the Manual for Drought Management and the Guidelines on Constitution and Administration of the State Disaster Response Fund, and National Disaster Response Fund.

The State said the Centre, under the Manual for Drought Management, was required to take a final decision on NDRF assistance to a State within a month of the receipt of the Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT). However, nothing has happened for the past six months.

“Despite the IMCT report, which visited various drought-affected districts from October 4 till October 9, 2023, and made a comprehensive assessment of drought situation in the State and consideration of the report by the sub committee of the National Executive Committee constituted under Section 9 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, Centre has not taken a final decision on the assistance to the State,” the petition said.

The court gave the two law officers of the Union government to take instructions and get back after two weeks.

Lok Sabha elections: Congress files complaint to ECI against PM Modi’s remarks on its manifesto
The Congress complained to the Election Commission of India (ECI) on April 8 against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks targeting the party and comparing its Lok Sabha poll manifesto with that of the Muslim League.

A delegation of Congress leaders met ECI officials and raised several issues, including the use of pictures and large cut-outs of the Prime Minister in government buildings and colleges and demanded that those be removed to maintain a level-playing field in the upcoming parliamentary election.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the party has filed a complaint against Modi for making comments against it, alleging that its manifesto attempts to divide the country and impose the pre-independence ideology of the Muslim League.

The Prime Minister has said in his election rallies that the Congress’ manifesto for the upcoming general election smacks of the “politics of appeasement” and carries the imprint of the Muslim League, with “every page reeking of breaking India”.

“Every page reeks of breaking India into pieces. The Congress manifesto reflects the same thinking that was prevalent in the Muslim League during the freedom movement. It completely bears the imprint of the Muslim League and whatever is remaining is completely dominated by the Leftists,” Modi has said.

After meeting the EC officials, Congress leader Pawan Khera said, “We have raised such points before the EC on which we have also discussed earlier and have been registering our objections. Pictures of the prime minister wearing a military uniform are being misused during the election campaign. There is already an advisory of the EC that this cannot be done during elections. We have urged the EC to take action on this issue as the BJP is continuously committing such crimes.” Khera was accompanied by party leaders Mukul Wasnik, Salman Khurshid and Gurdeep Sappal.

The Congress filed another complaint with the poll panel against the use of armed forces in the election campaigning by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and the EC’s notifications in this regard.

The Opposition party also raised its earlier complaint made to the EC on April 6 against Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar for allegedly giving false information pertaining to his financial status in his election affidavit, in contravention of the provisions of the Representation of People Act, Indian Penal Code and the jurisprudence of the Supreme Court.

Another complaint was made against the life-size hoardings and banners of the prime minister installed in various colleges of the Delhi University under the ‘Viksit Bharat @2047: Voice of Youth Campaign’, in violation of the provisions of the MCC that say advertisements, hoardings made at the cost of the state exchequer cannot be used by political parties as the same amounts to poll campaigning at the public’s expense.

The Congress said photographs of ministers and other political functionaries cannot be displayed in government-owned buildings and premises as the same would go against the principles of “level-playing field”.

It reiterated its complaint made on April 5 against public service broadcaster Doordarshan for airing “The Kerala Story” and said it is “a work of fiction that vilifies a religious community and lends credence to the idea of Love Jihad being writ large in the country”.

Publicising such propaganda films could polarise the voters, resulting in communal discord on the lines of religious identity, totally against the spirit of free-and-fair elections, the opposition party said in its complaint to the EC.

Delhi HC to pronounce verdict on Kejriwal’s plea challenging arrest in excise policy ‘scam’ tomorrow
The Delhi High Court is scheduled to deliver on April 9 its verdict on a plea by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is in judicial custody in a money-laundering case linked with the alleged excise scam, challenging his arrest.

As per the cause list uploaded on the high court’s website, Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma will pronounce the order at 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Besides his arrest, Kejriwal has also challenged his subsequent remand in the Enforcement Directorate’s custody. He was later remanded in judicial custody and is currently lodged in Tihar jail.

The AAP national convener has questioned the “timing” of his arrest by the agency and said it was in contravention of the basic structure of the Constitution, including democracy, free and fair elections and level playing field.

The ED has opposed the plea and contended that Kejriwal cannot claim “immunity” from arrest on the ground of upcoming elections as law is applied equally to him and an “aam aadmi”.

The Delhi CM was arrested by the ED on March 21 after the high court refused to grant him protection from coercive action by the federal anti-money laundering agency. He was sent to judicial custody in the case on April 1 after he was produced in the trial court on expiry of ED custody.

The matter pertains to the alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22 that was later scrapped.

Poll roundup
Forty-two of the 102 Lok Sabha seats going to polls in the general election’s first phase are constituencies that have three or more candidates facing criminal cases, according to a poll rights body. The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has analysed the self-sworn affidavits of 1,618 candidates out of the 1,625 contesting the elections in its first phase on April 19. Out of the 1,618 candidates, 16% or 252 candidates are named in criminal cases, with 10% or 161 candidates facing serious criminal charges, according to the analysis of their affidavits by the organisation.
Around four people, including one police personnel, were injured after a stage collapsed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally in Jabalpur area of Madhya Pradesh on April 7. The injured were taken to the Victoria Hospital in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. MP minister Rakesh Singh visited the hospital and met the injured people. Dilip Srivastava, Police officer, Jabalpur told ANI, “After PM Modi’s rally passed, a stage built near a showroom collapsed due to overcrowding. In this one police personnel and three other people have got injured. All of them have been sent to the Victoria Hospital, Jabalpur, for treatment.”
In Brief
The Supreme Court on April 8 stayed the trial of Tamil Nadu Rural Development Minister I. Periyasamy in a corruption case regarding the alleged allotment of a High Income Group plot in the Mogappair Eri scheme of the Tamil Nadu Housing Board. A Bench headed by Justice Hrishikesh Roy stepped in after the Special Judge trying the case had refused to defer proceedings. The trial judge reasoned that the Madras High Court had given him a deadline of July 31, 2024 to complete the trial. Any postponement would lead to delay. The Minister, represented by advocate Ram Sankar, had wanted to put the trial on temporary hold to give the apex court requisite time to decide his petition. “We are of the view that the trial ordered by the High Court should not proceed till the Supreme Court is hearing it. The proceedings before the trial court is stayed,” the Supreme Court directed.

Evening Wrap will return tomorrow.

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