NEW DELHI, Jan 2: The Bharat Jodo Yatra will resume its second leg of the journey from Delhi on January 3 after covering nine states and a Union Territory in its first leg and will end it with the hoisting of the national flag by Rahul Gandhi in Srinagar on January 30.
Addressing a joint press conference here, AICC general secretary organisation K C Venugopal and AICC general secretary, communications Jairam Ramesh, said the Bharat Jodo Yatra has so far covered 3,122 km from Gandhi Mandapam in Kanyakumari to the Red Fort in Delhi.
Over the 108 days, the Yatra has covered 49 districts in nine states and one Union Territory — Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi.
”The Yatra will continue from Delhi on January 3, walking through Uttar Pradesh from the same day to January 5, Haryana from January 6 to 10, Punjab from January 11 to 20 and spending one day in Himachal Pradesh on January 19.
”The Yatra will enter Jammu and Kashmir on the evening of January 20 and will end with a flag hoisting on Srinagar on January 30,” Venugopal said.
He said the message of ”Bharat Jodo” is not limited only to the 12 states and two Union Territories through which the Yatra passes.
Several state-level Yatras have already been announced, and the upcoming ‘Haath Se Haath Jodo Abhiyan’ will take the message of Bharat Jodo to the doorstep of every Indian, he said.
Through all these activities, we will continue to take the message of the Bharat Jodo Yatra forward, he noted.
Ramesh said most importantly, Rahul Gandhi and the Bharat Yatris have been meeting, interacting, and conveying the message of Bharat Jodo to tens of thousands of people every single day.
”This Yatra is truly a Yatra for listening to the people of India. The Yatra listens to people through large numbers of meetings,” he said.
So far, there have been 87 sitting interactions of 30-40 min with various groups, usually 20-30 people in each group, the Congress leader said.
These groups raise various issues of the localities and states we are walking through and there have been over 200 planned walks with smaller groups of 4-5 people, which range from celebrities to intellectuals to activists to ex-servicemen to local children.
In addition, there have been uncounted people whom Rahul Gandhi has greeted and walked with during the Yatra.
”To convey the message of the Yatra, there have been 95 corner meetings, where Rahul Gandhi makes a short speech about the message of the Yatra at the end of the day. ”In addition, 10 large public meetings have been held, to which lakhs of people have attended. There have also been nine press conferences, one in each state, where media, especially local media, have freely asked questions,” Ramesh said.
The spirit of Bharat Jodo has also been celebrated with visits to several important religious and spiritual centres, interactions and performances by numerous artistes, and two Bharat Jodo concerts, he said.
”Through this range of mass contact efforts, the Yatra is a significant milestone in the Congress Party’s rich tradition of representing the voice of all Indians,” Ramesh said.
Asked if the concerns raised by them about the security of Gandhi and other Yatris have been addressed, Venugopal said the Delhi police has been holding a meeting to deal with such concerns on Monday.
He said Rahul Gandhi is not afraid of any security concerns as people in large numbers are joining him. The Yatra has been incident-free so far and will continue to be so.
Venugopal added that he has already held a meeting with Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on security arrangements in their states and they have assured of their cooperation. (Agencies)
Rahul Gandhi To Hoist National Flag In Srinagar On January 30
BJP scared of Assembly Polls in J&K: Harsh Dev
Chenani, 02-01-2023: Accusing the BJP govt of dilly dallying over the issue of holding Assembly Elections in J&K, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh, Former Minister and senior AAP leader said that the saffron regime seemed to be hell bent to deny the people of the UT their right to have a democratically elected govt of their own. Despite the 4 year long proxy rule in J&K since 2018 having proved a flop show, there was hardly any indication of restoring popular govt in the UT in the near future. He said that BJP govt had failed to deliver and to redeem its promises and therefore evading elections on one pretext or the other for the last four years besides having created huge confusion by spreading canards of preponement of panchayat and local bodies polls in the UT. Having antagonized its own electorates as well, the BJP was trying hard to buy time and thereby resorting to delay and deny tactics over the issue of conduct of Assembly elections in J&K. Scared to face the people in the wake of its multiple betrayals with peoples’ cause, it preferred repeated postponement of polls and continuation of its proxy rule in the UT, said Mr. Singh. He was addressing huge gatherings in Bali and Moud villages of Chenani constituency.
Reiterating the need for the early elections to J&K Legislative Assembly in J&K, Mr. Singh said that any delay in this regard would not only amount to subversion of democracy but also violate the orders of the Supreme Court. The people could not be deprived of their democratic rights in the state only for the political inexpediencies of the ruling party at the centre by taking to frivolous excuses, said Mr. Singh. He said that a full time elected govt was a must to deal with the armed insurgency in the erstwhile state besides coping with the multiple issues confronting the UT. The militancy which had erupted in early 90s in J&K had gradually subsided after the formation of an elected govt in the state. It had almost died down during popular govts but unfortunately got revived during the centre’s proxy rule. Any delay therefore in handing over power to the sons of soil through free and fair elections could prove counterproductive and further complicate the already volatile situation in the UT said Harsh.
Pointing towards the growing tensions in various parts of the UT and the failure of administration to come up to the peoples’ expectations, Mr. Singh said that bureaucratic rule was no answer to the prevalent crisis. The LG administration had lost connection with the masses. The unemployed, semi-employed and contractuals were on the roads with none to even take note of their sufferings and grievances. The people inhabiting the rural areas were suffering badly for basic amenities with no access whatsoever to the corridors of power. With hardly any forum to ventilate their grievances, the people were suffering badly in the absence of a popular govt thereby resulting in growing alienation amongst the masses.
China’s approach to India same as Russia’s to Ukraine: Rahul Gandhi
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said China is adopting the same principle with India as Russia is with Ukraine, as it is threatening to alter India’s boundaries.
He also claimed that the Sino-Indian border conflict has a link with a weak economy, a confused nation without any vision, hatred, anger and the Chinese sitting in Indian territory.
“Essentially, what the Russians have done in Ukraine is that they have said we do not want Ukraine to have a strong relationship with the west and they have basically told the Ukrainians that if you will have a strong relationship with the west, we will alter your geography.
“That is the exact same principle that can be applied to India. What the Chinese are saying to us is that be careful with what you are doing, because we will alter your geography. We will enter Ladakh, we will enter Arunachal (Pradesh), and what I can see is them building a platform for that type of an approach,” Gandhi said in a conversation with film actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan.
Killing of innocent people in Rajouri proof of cowardice of terrorists: Bharat Priye
Jammu, January 2: Condemning the Rajouri attacks, senior Congress leader Bharat Priye has said that terrorists want to disturb communal harmony through these attacks at the behest of Pakistan. Bharat Priye said that terrorists killed 4 people in Dangri village of Rajouri on Sunday while carrying out the incident of target killing. After this, two innocent children died in the bomb blasts. So far, a total of 6 people have lost their lives in these attacks while more than 1 dozen people are injured. He wished the injured a speedy recovery and expressed condolences to the families of the deceased. But a high-level inquiry should be conducted into the matter as to how the terrorists finally reached inside the village and how the bomb blasts took place in the same village the very next day itself. Bharat Priye said that every citizen of the country has full faith in the bravery of the Indian security forces that they will soon take revenge of this attack by taking the terrorists to hell, but no one can compensate the loss of those who have lost their relatives. can. During the investigation of this case, every aspect should be brought to the fore as to how the terrorists reached the village and who supported them. Strict action should also be taken against officers dereliction of duty as such attacks show security failure. Bharat Priya said that Congress strongly condemns this attack.
Dr. Rashi Taggar of SMVDU Chaired a Session at IIM
Dr. Rashi Taggar, Faculty at School of Business, SMVD University chaired a session in the 20th AIMS International Conference on Management organized by The Association of Indian Management Scholars (AIMS) International and Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode (IIM-K), supported by the International Forum of Management Scholars . Around 100 papers were presented on IIM-K campus from 28 to 30 Dec 2022 and more than 100 papers were presented online from 01-02 Jan 2023. Dr. Taggar chaired the online session on COVID-19 on 1st January 2023.The papers presented in this session discussed the impact of COVID-19 on virtual learning, higher education, working women, baking start-ups, social media trends in corona period, FMCG sector, Indian economy, mental well-being and recovery from the virus.
Vijay Sharma expressed grief over the death of civilians in Rajouri terror attack
Jammu, January 2:
Congress Seva Dal President Vijay Sharma Babbi has expressed grief over the death of people in the terrorist attack and bomb blast in Rajouri. Vijay Sharma said that killing of many innocent people by terrorists in Rajouri district within 15 days is very worrying. The case of killing of two civilians outside the army camp in Rajouri was yet to be resolved that on the very first day of the year, terrorists entered a village and killed 4 people. More than 10 people were injured in this attack. After this, the next day, two children were killed and many were injured in IED blasts in the houses which were targeted by the terrorists. Vijay Sharma said that the terrorists responsible for this attack should be brought to their end as soon as possible and action should also be taken against the officers who were lax in security. He said that in a sensitive area like Rajouri, people of one community are being continuously targeted by terrorists to disturb communal harmony. Two such attacks within a fortnight is a direct evidence of the negligence of the government and security agencies. He said that every citizen of the country, including the Congress, is with the bereaved families and the Congress party demands a high-level inquiry into the matter.
Unfortunate that militancy still exists in J&K as innocent people are being killed: Dr Farooq
SRINAGAR: National Conference president and Member of Parliament, Dr Farooq Abdullah on Monday said that it is unfortunate unfortunate that militancy still exists in Jammu & Kashmir as the innocent people are being killed.
Talking to reporters, Dr Farooq said the country can never move forward by dividing people, but unity is imperative for progress.“The incidents of killing innocents have increased. It is the outcome of the hatred being spread across the country. There is a need to find a solution by the Home Ministry,” he said.
Notes Ban Order “Unlawful”, “Vitiated”: Dissenting Supreme Court Judge
New Delhi: The government notification on demonetisation was “unlawful” and the process of banning all currency notes of ₹ 1,000 and ₹ 500 could not have been initiated by the Centre, justice BV Nagarathna said today in her strong dissent after a Supreme Court Constitution bench, with 4:1 majority, upheld the demonetisation decision by the Narendra Modi-led Centre. She called the November 8, 2016 notification of the Centre “unlawful” and agreed with the petitioners challenging the notification, that as per section 26 of the Reserve Bank of India Act, the central board of the RBI should have independently recommended demonetisation, and it should not have been done through the advice of the government. There was no independent application of mind by the RBI, she held.
“In my considered view, action of demonetisation by November 8 notification was unlawful. But status quo ante cannot be restored now since it was in 2016,” she said, adding that demonetisation was “an exercise of power, contrary to law, and therefore unlawful”.
The manner in which it was implemented was not in accordance with law, she said, adding that she is not questioning the ‘noble objectives’ of the exercise itself, but only the legal viewpoint.
“Demonetisation was, beyond a pale of doubt, well-intentioned. Best intention and noble objects are not under question. The measure has been regarded as unlawful only on a purely legal analysis, and not on the objects of demonetisation,” she said, further calling the decision “well-intentioned and well thought of”. It targeted evils such as black money, terror funding, and counterfeiting, she added.
The crux of the argument by petitioners was “as per RBI Act, recommendation for demonetisation should originate from the board of the Reserve Bank of India” but in this case, Centre wrote a letter to RBI on November 7 advising for such a recommendation, she said.
Justice Nagarathna also held that, like previous instances, Demonetisation could have been initiated through an Act of Parliament and not by an executive notification.
“After perusing the documents and records submitted by Centre and RBI, phrases like “as desired by Centre government” shows there was no independent application of mind by RBI,” Justice Nagarathna said.
The majority opinion was that the Centre is required to act in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and there is an “inbuilt safeguard”. The four judges noted that there was consultation between the two for six months.
Fifty-eight petitions were filed in the Supreme Court challenging the notes ban, arguing that it was not a considered decision of the government and should be struck down by the court.
The government had argued that the court cannot decide a matter when no tangible relief can be granted. It would be like “putting the clock back” or “unscrambling a scrambled egg”, the centre said.
Live for Others-Being Helpful Foundation Conduct Blanket Donation Drive
“Become A Winter Soldier and Share The Warmth” is an initiative taken by Live For Others-Being Helpful Foundation (NGO) in collaboration with ‘TALLA JEWELLERS’ in which they distributed around 60 Blankets and warm stuff such as Gloves, Caps, Socks, Sweaters, etc among under privileged sections in a slum at Durga Nagar, Jammu.
LFO-BHF (NGO) takes up the challenge of taking care helpless people during the harsh winters. Each winter calls for a blankets and warm stuff and this donation campaign is carry forwarded by LFO-BHF NGO in which this NGO tries to reach out to every possible person in need during winters and provide them with the warm comfort of a blanket.
Volunteers who were present in this drive also followed Covid-19 Protocols.
On speaking with Mrs. Kashish Gupta, CEO Talla Jewellers said, “Our ‘Share the Warmth’ initiative will provide critical cold weather clothing and accessories to communities in dire need this holiday season.
“A core value at LFO-BH (NGO) is giving back to those less fortunate. Now, more than ever, we must come together and support the communities that have been badly hurt by the medical and economic damage,” said Mr. Vishal Singh, Co-Director of LFO-BHF.
On speaking with Mr. Abhishek Raina , member of LFO-BHF said “LFO-BHF believes we are stronger together and better. We believe in a world of equality and opportunity, for everyone”.
Members who were present in this mega drive were Abhinandan, Stuti, Shruti, Babita, Rishab, Abhishek Gupta, Abhishek Raina, Vivek Raina, Navya, Neha, Taniya, and many more .
J&K: Mughal road closed for this winter season, owing to heavy snowfall & slippery conditions
In Jammu and Kashmir, the historical Mughal road, the alternate National Highway, connecting twin border districts of Rajouri-Poonch with the Shopian district of Kashmir valley has been permanently closed for this winter season, owing to heavy snowfall and slippery conditions.
Due to heavy snow accumulation at Pir Ki Gali top and its adjoining areas of both sides, slippery condition, decline in temperature, the road cannot be thrown open for traffic this winter. Though the District Magistrates of both Poonch and Shopian districts have not officially ordered the closure of this road yet, but the regulatory authorities have confirmed that the weather condition is not suitable to open this road now for about two to three months. Executive Engineer Mughal Road, Shoket Ali said that they have cleared snow on Mughal road many times in this winter season for vehicular movement but keeping many aspects including the safety of passengers in view, the road can’t be thrown open now.