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Inauguration of key projects in Puducherry and TN on the agenda of the day for PM’s trip to south India

PM Modi

Today, PM will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of several key projects in Puducherry and Tamil Nadu. The Union housing and urban affairs ministry announced this on Thursday, ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit to the southern Union Territory and its neighbouring state on the day. This comes after the collapse of the Congress government in Puducherry.

Also Read: On failing to prove majority, CM Narayanasamy submits resignation- heavily criticized the BJP & central government

“PM to inaugurate and lay foundation stone of several projects in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry today. Under PM Awas Yojana (Urban), tenements at Veerapandi and Thirukumaran Nagar in Tiruppur, Rajakkur Phase-II in Madurai, and Irungalur in Trichy to be inaugurated,” the Hardeep Singh Puri-headed ministry said on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi tweeted, “Leaving for Puducherry and Tamil Nadu to inaugurate development works that will further ‘Ease of Living’ and economic growth.”

He added, “Leaving for Puducherry and Tamil Nadu to inaugurate development works that will further ‘Ease of Living’ and economic growth.”

Also Read: Political situation in Tamil Nadu may lead to the formation of a third front, asserted Kamal Haasan

“India is proud of Tamil Nadu’s contribution to national progress. The vibrant Tamil culture is popular globally. Central Government is honoured to be working for TN’s growth. Will be in Coimbatore tomorrow to inaugurate various projects,” he had tweeted on Wednesday.

He had further added, “India is proud of Tamil Nadu’s contribution to national progress. The vibrant Tamil culture is popular globally. Central Government is honoured to be working for TN’s growth. Will be in Coimbatore tomorrow to inaugurate various projects.”

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Puducherry situation: On failing to prove majority, CM Narayanasamy submits resignation- heavily criticized the BJP & central government-VCK party termed the collapse a dress rehearsal for what is to happen in Tamil Nadu

Puducherry news

After chief minister V Narayanasamy submitted his and his cabinet colleagues’ resignation letters in the wake of the ruling Congress losing its majority in the assembly, the BJP Puducherry unit said on Monday that the party would not stake a claim to form a government in the Union territory at this stage(but after the elections).

Politicians have taken to Twitter to react to Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy’s resignation on Monday, February 22 over losing his party’s trust vote in the Puducherry Assembly. The Congress in Puducherry had been hit by a spate of resignations in the last one month. Accusing Kiran Bedi, who was removed as the union territory’s lieutenant governor last week, of colluding with the opposition and trying to topple the government, the Congress leader said, “Because of the support of my MLAs, we were able to complete almost five years of our government.”

On the other hand, in a statement, BJP-Puducherry president V Saminathan said that the NDA formed of the BJP, All India NR Congress & AIADMK would form the government with the blessings of the people after the upcoming elections.  Saminathan said that Puducherry needs a new era, new government, new culture of public service and a new vision and leadership.

Thol Thirumavalavan, MP and President of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi party called the collapse of the Puduchery government a “dress rehearsal for what is to happen in Tamil Nadu”.

VCK, in the press release further alleged that, “BJP, which is incapable of winning a single seat by winning the people’s mandate, is trying to gain a foothold in Puducherry by such backdoor entry. The people of Puducherry will never accept such manoeuvring. We wish to warn these selfish people and anti-democratic forces that the people of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry will teach them a lesson.”

Also Read: Political crisis in Puducherry: Congress government loses majority-Kiran Bedi removed as LG

Narayanasamy on Monday charged central government with “murdering democracy” by removing a democratically-formed government at the fag-end of its tenure. He also accused the Union government of destabilizing and toppling an elected government through “engineering defections using investigative agencies” and by “inducements”.

Moving the Motion of Confidence in the Legislative Assembly, the Chief Minister said that the Centre had been trying to destabilize his government for a long time like “they did” in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Madhya Pradesh and Goa but the Congress-DMK combine was able to thwart the attempts as recently as last week.

Squarely blaming the BJP-led NDA government for toppling his government, he said “Just because they have power they think they can do anything in the country. Atrocities against Dalits and minorities continue in the country. Don’t the minorities have the right to live in the country? The Opposition parties here will be also judged by the people for supporting the Centre’s move.”

He also said, “What was the necessity to remove a democratically-elected government just around ten days before the announcement for the Assembly elections? The Centre uses Income Tax [Department], Central Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate to threaten Opposition leaders [in order] to form their government. In our camp, we had some timid legislators (referring to those resigned) the BJP was successful in weaning away. The people of the Union Territory are watching the developments.”

“We will face the electorate and explain to the people how best we served despite so much interference and obstruction,” he further added. Mr. Narayansamy reminded the Opposition about the Congress-DMK candidates’ victories in bypolls and Lok Sabha elections in 2019.

Mr. Narayansamy castigated the centre stating that the PM often spoke about the need for cooperative federalism, but his government functioned contrary to the concept. No consultation was done with the elected government before appointing nominated legislators, the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police, the Congress leader further said.

“The schemes and decisions proposed by the Cabinet were blocked or referred to the Centre by the former Lt Governor Kiran Bedi”, he said adding, “Using Ms Bedi, the Centre took away our powers and did not allow us to function.”

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Senior leaders appointed as observers by Congress for 2021 Assembly polls campaign in states like West Bengal and Tamil Nadu

The Congress has appointed its senior leaders including chief ministers Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Baghel as observers to oversee the party’s election campaign management for the upcoming assembly polls in several states and a Union territory.

Assembly elections are due to be held in the states of Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and the UT of Puducherry by the middle of this year.

An official communication from the party said that Congress president Sonia Gandhi has appointed the leaders as senior observers for overseeing the election campaign management and coordination in states where assembly elections are going to be held in 2021. Their appointment is with immediate effect.

Also see: Trilateral fight in West Bengal election 2021

The party said that they will discharge their duties in close coordination with AICC general secretaries and in-charges in the respective states.

Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, former Goa chief minister Luizinho Faleiro and Karnataka’s former deputy chief minister G Parameswara have been appointed as senior observers for the Kerala assembly polls.

Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, the party’s general secretary Mukul Wasnik and senior leader Shakeel Ahmad Khan have been appointed as senior observers for the Assam assembly polls.

For the elections in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, senior party leaders and former union ministers M Veerappa Moily and M M Pallam Raju, besides sitting cabinet minister in Maharashtra Nitin Raut have been appointed as senior observers. In Tamil Nadu, the Congress and DMK are in an alliance and are expecting an easy victory over the AIADMK, which has ideological issues with BJP.

For the West Bengal assembly elections, senior party leader B K Hariprasad and Alamgir Alam, besides Punjab minister Vijay Inder Singla have been appointed as observers.

Also see: Battleground of Bengal election 2021

The party is keen to retain power in Puducherry and is seeking to wrest power back in Assam, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. The Congress is in the process of finalizing seat-sharing with its allies in these states, the statement said.

The statement further added that Congress is also contesting the West Bengal assembly polls in alliance with the left parties and final seat-sharing arrangements are being worked out in the state.

The party’s electoral fortunes were on the decline last year when it lost power in Madhya Pradesh after its leader Jyotiraditya Scindia and his supporting MLAs switched over to the BJP. The Congress also lost the assembly elections in Delhi and Bihar last year and hence is tightening up its electoral game.

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Update on Farmers’ protests: members of BJP flee out of hotel to avoid wrath of farmers- protests range from breaking barricade to standing in metal chains

Farmers’ protests

The protests of farmers are growing stronger day by day with an increasing number of farmers pouring in from various states, like from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, and Bihar.

Hotel picketed in Punjab

In Punjab’s Phagwara, a group of scared and cornered BJP leaders slipped out (ratted out) through the backdoor under police protection on Friday after farmers protesting the central government’s new agricultural laws picketed a hotel that they were holding an event in. Demonstrators from the Bharti Kisan Union (Doaba) protested at the hotel where the BJP leaders were observing the birth anniversary of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The protesters claimed that the hotel was owned by a BJP activist who also ran a company that supplied cattle and chicken feed. They said that they will boycott the company’s products. Led by the union’s vice president Kirpal Singh Mussapur, several demonstrators held a protest outside the hotel and surrounded the BJP leaders and workers who had managed to get inside before the farmers began their agitation.

The police also added that the protesters also did not allow several BJP activists, including Bharati Sharma, district president of BJP’s Mahila Wing, to go inside the hotel.

Those who had gone inside had to slip out one by one from the hotel’s backdoor under police protection to save themselves from the wrath of the protesters. They included BJP district and block presidents Rakesh Duggal and Paramjit Singh Pamma Chachoki and former mayor Arun Khosla.

Mr Mussapur alleged that the BJP leaders were conspiring against the farmers and working on propaganda. The protesters also raised slogans against the current central government and union minister Som Parkash who belongs to Phagwara.

Farmers drive tractors over barricade

Farmers protesting the central government’s Farm-laws clashed with the police in Uttarakhand’s Udham Singh Nagar district on Friday, with dramatic footage showing the demonstrators running a tractor over a barricade as dozens of policemen try to hold them back.

A video posted on Twitter showed a large crowd of protesters facing off with the police. A few protesters driving a green tractor charge at a barricade, running it down and forcing the policemen to finally get out of the way.

Farmer-unions indicate resumption of dialogue & to again meet on government’s fresh talks offer-SAD calls out the callous and insensitive attitude of GOI

Protesting union leaders alleged after PM’s speech that it was an attempt to ‘divide and mislead’ farmers. On Friday, the protesting farmer unions met to discuss the government’s latest letter inviting them for talks, with some of them indicating that they may resume their dialogue with the Centre to find a solution to the deadlock over the contentious agri-laws. The unions said that they will hold another meeting on Saturday where a formal decision on the Centre’s invitation is likely to be taken. An official in the Union ministry of agriculture and farmers’ welfare said that the government was expecting the next round of talks to take place in the next two-three days.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday said that the Centre should stop defaming farmers and hold talks with them on ways to repeal its contentious agriculture laws. The SAD president, in a statement, said that the central government is exhibiting a “callous and insensitive attitude” towards the suffering of farmers who are braving the severe cold wave conditions at Delhi borders. “It almost seems that the government wants to punish the farmers for raising their voice against the three agricultural marketing laws which were forced through in the last parliamentary session. This is the reason why the centre has adopted a policy which is aimed at tiring out the farmers,” the SAD leader said.

Kabil singh’s protests against slavery of farmers

Kabil Singh’s tall body was bound by heavy metal chains and his fists clenched all through from morning to evening for the last 18 days. He is a farmer from Fazilka in Punjab and he has been standing facing the main stage at the Singhu Border agitation site while portraying himself as the symbol of the “slavery” that the farmers have been fighting.

The metallic chain, a medium-sized lock and a few iron nuts and bolts attached to them weigh around 5.5 kilos, said the 42-year-old Kabil Singh. He said that he has been standing at the same place and in the same position from 7am to 7pm everyday for the last 18 days even as farmers and other visitors to the site flock to take selfies with him. “I will take this position until the black farm laws are repealed or until I drop dead,” said Singh, his fists still clenched.

He said that he decided to be the symbol of a silent bound farmer amidst the loud speeches being delivered in front of him from the stage located about 100 metres from him.

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Farmers’ protest in Delhi intensifies with a call of Bharat Bandh on December 8-farmers from Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra join the protests

The farmer’s protests have spread rapidly as they receive no assurance and response from the government in terms of the debated farm laws. Today the farmers’ protest at the Singhu border completes 12 days, where they seek support from people across the country. Many have observed that at certain places at the sites of protests, there has been installation of jammers, so that the coverage of the protests cannot be transmitted. The farmers and their fellow supporters plan on blocking the highways nationwide, which would be supported by several trade unions, transport facilities, and farmers from other states.

This leads to the Bharat Bandh plan which is scheduled for December 8, Tuesday. The highway blockades, called ‘chakka jams’ will be held till 3 pm on the borders and streets of Delhi, excluding the areas where active protests are going on, said the farmers’ unions.

In response to this, a Delhi police spokesperson stated that the Singhu, Chilla, Jharoda, and Tikri borders remain closed due to the protests, and their traffic has been diverted to the Delhi-Noida-Delhi (DND) flyway, Palam Vihar, NH-8, and other similar borders. The spokesperson also added that the Noida and Gurugram borders would remain open until they discuss this issue with the farmers.

In addition to the borders and streets, the farmers appealed that local shops, dairies, offices, and local transport suppliers also shut down their services for a day to support their Bharat Bandh movement. However, weddings and emergency services such as ambulances will not be stopped; they assured the people.

The last round of talks between the farmers’ unions and government was non-satisfactory and inconclusive. Hence, the next round of talks which is to be held on December 9, Wednesday will be ‘non-negotiable’ as stated by the farmers, as they are determined to repeal the 3 farm laws.

As the protests are growing, farmers from UP and Tamil Nadu have also come forward to join the farmers protesting in Delhi, thus, increasing their numbers.  A group of men belonging to a political party in Tamil Nadu also cheered during the speeches in the protests every few minutes. Jagdeesh Waran, a coordinator of the Naam Tamilar Katchi political party, said, “We are also video recording the speeches so that we can get them translated later for those of us who do not understand even Hindi.”

Pooja Morey, a 30-year-old woman from Maharashtra, cheered in the protests, when a farmers’ leader delivered a speech in Punjabi from the stage in Singhu Border on the warm Sunday afternoon. Not very fluent in Hindi, Morey understands little of the Punjabi, but she said that language does not matter in this protest of national scale as the purpose is known to all.

Several medical camps and new barricades have been installed at the sites of protests, especially at the Singhu border.

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NDRF teams deployed in parts of Tamil Nadu as a precautionary measure for cyclonic storm-Nivar

NDRF tamil nadu

In the wake of warning  of the arrival of a cyclonic storm (Cyclone Nivar) over Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coast in the next 24 hours, six teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in Cuddalore and Chidambaram towns for pre-positioning on Monday. The National Crisis Management Committee has reviewed the status and preparations for Cyclone Nivar.

The IMD said, “The Depression over southwest and adjoining the southeast Bay of Bengal about 600 km south-southeast of Puducherry and 630 km south-southeast of Chennai. It is very likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm during the next 24 hours.”

Due to a well-marked low pressure over the southwest Bay of Bengal, a cyclonic storm is expected on the Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coast in the next 24 hours, the IMD had informed earlier today.

“The well-marked low pressure over southwest Bay of Bengal is very likely to intensify further into a cyclonic storm during next 24 hours and move towards Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coast. It is likely to cross between Karaikal and Mamallapuram by November 25 afternoon,” said S Balachandran, IMD Chennai.

“Fishermen are advised not to venture into Equatorial Indian Ocean and adjoining central parts of South Bay of Bengal on 22 November; over Southwest and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal, Gulf of Mannar and along and off Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and south Andhra Pradesh coasts during 22 to 25 November,” an India Meteorological Department (IMD) bulletin read.

The IMD forecasts extremely heavy rainfall in coastal Chennai. The windspeed is expected to be at 100 to 110 Km per hour during landfall. Fishermen have been advised to stay away from the sea.

On Sunday, the IMD had said that the “very severe” cyclonic storm “GATI” over the southwest Arabian Sea has moved westwards. (ANI)

The author is a student member of amity centre of happiness