QBullet: ‘Cattle Thieves’ Lynched in Assam; Erdogan’s J&K Solution
The Quint brings you a collection of the important news stories from the previous day.
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1. Erdogan Calls for Multilateral Dialogue on Kashmir, Cites 'Long Talks' With Pakistan
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday advocated “multilateral dialogue” to settle the Kashmir question – a stand which flies in the face of New Delhi’s position that the dispute should be resolved bilaterally. He also said he had been discussing the issue “at length” with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
In the interview to WION TV channel, recorded in Ankara ahead of his trip, Erdogan also repeated Turkey’s stand that he was in favour of both India and Pakistan being included in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). India has been arguing that it cannot be equated with Pakistan, which has a proven track record of nuclear proliferation, and Erdogan suggested New Delhi should give up this “attitude”.
(Source: The Indian Express)
2. Two 'Cattle Thieves' Lynched in Assam
Two men were lynched by a mob in the central Assam district of Nagaon on Sunday following suspicion that they were trying to steal two cows from a village. Nagaon SP Debaraj Upadhyaya said Abu Hanifa, 23, and Riazuddin Ali, 24, were beaten up after some villagers raised an alarm, alleging the two men had chased away two cows from the grazing ground in village Kasomari on Sunday afternoon.
Upadhyaya said a case of murder has been registered against unknown persons. “We are trying to gather video footage and other evidence to ascertain the identity of the attackers,” the SP said.
(Source: The Indian Express)
3. Unable to Budge Stone Miners, Bihar District's Solution: Blast the Roads
Unable to check illegal stone mining, the Rohtas administration has decided to blast approach roads to Kaimur hills in the district, admitting their decision could be called “a surrender”. The “extra-ordinary” decision comes four months after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s visit to Sasaram block, where he called for a crackdown on illegal mining.
After several high-level meetings, the district authorities have identified around 15 non-concrete routes in Karbandiya and Bansa villages in Sasaram, which are infamous for illegal mining, and have invited tenders for blasting them.
(Source: The Indian Express)
4. EC May Change Recounting Rules
The Election Commission is actively considering revision of its recount rules so that slips generated by the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) devices can be matched with the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) count.
A top functionary of the Election Commission (EC) told The Hindu recently that the office of the Chief Election Commissioner had received thousands of representations suggesting that changes be made to the recount rules to allow tallying with VVPAT slips.
(Source: The Hindu)
5. VIPs Are History, Every Person Is Important: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggested on Sunday changing VIP to EPI or every person is important, underscoring the need to change people’s mindset over snobbish symbols of power such as red beacons that his government banned recently.
The government decided this April to ban red beacons or the coveted “lal batti” atop cars of the President, Prime Minister and down to the bureaucrats from 1 May, ending a privilege that was seen as the ultimate status symbol since the British rulers introduced it.
“The exit of the red beacon is part of a system. But we have to make efforts to cleanse it out of our minds. If we collectively strive to do it with eternal vigilance, it surely can be flushed out,” said Modi in his Mann Ki Baat radio address.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
6. Cong Set for a Big Internal Reshuffle
The Congress appears to have responded to calls from its rank and file to initiate organisational changes and fix responsibility for a string of electoral losses since the 2014 national elections.
It has slowly begun the process of restructuring – evident from the sacking of party general secretary Digvijaya Singh as its in-charge in Goa.
Such action from the high command, replacing a senior functionary on state leaders’ demand, is rare in the Congress. But then, the party leadership is facing wide criticism for its indecisiveness, breakdown of the decision making process, and failure to react to crisis situations, especially after the drubbing in the 2014 elections.
7. PM's `Gift', South Asia Satellite, to Soar on Friday
Weeks after assuming office in May 2014, PM Narendra Modi had surprised India's space scientists by asking them to develop a “Saarc satellite”. Three years on, the satellite, now renamed `South Asia satellite' after Pakistan opted out of the project, is set to take wings on 5 May, taking Modi's space diplomacy to a new high.
The satellite, which will have a footprint across South Asia, will enable a full range of applications and services in the areas of telecommunications and broadcasting. With the launch near ing, Modi said in his radio address `Mann Ki Baat' on Sunday that his slogan `sabka saath sabka vikas' extended outside the country .
(Source: The Times of India)
8. 44 Guns, 117kg Nilgai Meat at Retd Col's Home
A raid at the Meerut house of a retired Colonel, who is a 1971 war and Operation Blue Star veteran, and his national-level shooter son has unearthed Rs 1 crore in cash, arms and ammunition as well as animal skins, parts and meat, pointing to a poaching and arms smuggling racket.
Forty-four guns – many of them sophisticated, foreign-made weapons – 50,000 cartridges, leopard and blackbuck skins, eight deer skulls with antlers, other animal parts and 117.5 kg of meat, presumably of nilgai, were seized from their Civil Lines house. The 17-hour-long raid was carried out jointly by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), wildlife department and local police.
(Source: The Times of India)
9. Common Prez Candidate Can Galvanise Opposition: Sharad Yadav
A united Opposition candidate for the presidential election will be the beginning of unity among non-BJP parties to take on the saffron party, senior JD(U) member Sharad Yadav said on Sunday.
Having met Congress chief Sonia Gandhi last week as part of efforts to put up a joint Opposition candidate for the high-stakes polls, the former JD(U) president said the success of this exercise could go a long way in arresting the BJP's surge across the country.
He said unity in the Opposition ranks is the need of the hour as a division in the non-BJP votes has been a key reason behind the saffron party's win in the recent Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh and the Delhi civic elections.
(Source: The Times of India)