1. BJP Ally Shiv Sena Ratchets up the Rhetoric, Echoes Congress's ‘Chowkidar Chor Hai’ Line
Ratcheting up his criticism of the BJP-led government at the Centre, Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray on Monday, 24 December, took potshots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi by borrowing, for the first time, the “chowkidar chor hai” phrase often invoked by the Congress. The Shiv Sena has always been a strong BJP ally, though the two fought the Assembly elections separately in 2014.
Addressing a rally of Shiv Sainiks in the temple town of Pandharpur, Uddhav recounted a meeting in Beed with a farmer who showed him a lime tree — normally used to keep off pests — itself getting infested. I told him, “Halli paharekarich chorya karaylaa laagale aahet. (Today, security persons have themselves become thieves),” he said. ‘Paharekari’ is the Marathi word for chowkidar (in Hindi) or ‘guard’.
Uddhav also targeted Modi for what he described as his ‘jumle baazi’. “The Prime Minister recently said he will help double your income by 2022. Later, after the elections he will say it was jumle baazi,” he said.
(Source: The Indian Express)
2. Centre Wants Fake News Traced
The government has sought public comments on the proposed amendments to the Information Technology (IT) Act that seek to make it mandatory for platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter to trace “originator” of “unlawful” information, while also removing such content within 24 hours after being notified.
It pointed out that a number of lynching incidents were reported in 2018 mostly due to fake news being circulated through Whatsapp and other social media sites.
As per the draft ‘The Information Technology [Intermediaries Guidelines (Amendment) Rules] 2018’ released on Monday, 24 December, the intermediary after being notified by the appropriate authority should remove or disable access to unlawful content within 24 hours in the “interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality, or in relation to contempt of court, defamation or incitement to an offence, on its computer resource without vitiating the evidence in any manner…”
(Source: The Hindu)
3. India Takes Over Iran’s Strategic Chabahar Port, Can Bypass Pak on Way to Afghanistan
India on Monday, 24 December, formally took over operations at Chabahar port in Iran, giving a major boost to the country’s efforts to support war-torn Afghanistan, people familiar with developments said.
New Delhi’s efforts to develop the port, which allows India to ship supplies to Afghanistan while bypassing Pakistan, received a fillip recently when Washington exempted Chabahar from Iran-related sanctions in November.
Iran formally handed over the port to India during a first meeting of the follow-up committee for the implementation of the Chabahar Agreement between Iran, Afghanistan, and India in the port city Tehran. The Indian side at the meeting was led by joint secretary (Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran) Deepak Mittal of the external affairs ministry, while the Iranian team was led by Mohammad Ali Hassanzadeh, the deputy head of the Ports and Maritime Organisation, the people said.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
4. SC to Hear Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid Title Dispute Case on 4 Jan
The Supreme Court is scheduled to take up a batch of petitions for hearing in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute case on 4 January. The matter is listed before a bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice SK Kaul.
The bench is likely to constitute a three-judge bench for hearing as many as 14 appeals filed against the 2010 Allahabad High Court judgement, delivered in four civil suits, that the 2.77-acre land be partitioned equally among three parties – the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.
The apex court on 29 October had fixed the matter in the first week of January before an "appropriate bench", which will decide the schedule of hearing.
(Source: DNA)
5. Federal Front to Shape up Post Lok Sabha Polls
Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) president and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is consulting leaders of several regional parties to see if they are interested in forming the Federal Front.
The formation of such a Federal Front would be possible only after the general election next year. At present there are two Fronts at national level — the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) led by the Congress.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is trying to unite all anti-BJP parties at national level to fight the BJP in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections. But Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is trying to form his Federal Front at national level to fight both the BJP and the Congress.
(Source: Deccan Chronicle)
6. Torched Dalit Teen’s Mom on Hunger Strike
The mother of a Dalit girl who was set on fire by unidentified men last week near her village on Agra’s outskirts and died a day later, sat on fast in front of her home on Monday, 24 December, demanding the immediate arrest of the accused.
“The police are trying to divert attention from the crime to my family disputes because they are not being able to crack the case. Politicians and officers are visiting my house every day with tall promises and financial support but none can tell us who killed my daughter,” the mother, a widow, told reporters.
“I went hungry to give my daughter a good education. I have not cooked anything since the day she was set on fire. My two little kids are hungry but the politicians who visit my house demand water from me. How can I give them water?” she said.
The dead girl, a Class X student, had two younger siblings, a brother and a sister.
(Source: The Telegraph)
7. Single Standard Rate of GST Ultimate Aim: Jaitley
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday, 24 December hinted that the country may eventually have a single standard rate of GST through merging of 12 and 18 percent slabs, adding that the 28 per cent slab will soon be phased out, except in case of luxury and “sin goods”.
He said the country should eventually have a Goods and Services Tax structure which would have only slabs of zero and 5 percent and a standard rate, with luxury and “sin goods” as an exception.
“A future roadmap could well be to work towards a single standard rate instead of two standard rates of 12 and 18 percent. It could be a rate at some mid-point. Obviously, this will take some reasonable time when the tax will rise significantly,” Jaitley said in a Facebook post.
(Source: The Tribune)
8. PM Modi Takes Jibe at Odisha Govt, Says Demon of Corruption Strong in State
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, 24 December, lashed out at the Odisha government led by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik over the lack of development in the state at a public meeting at the foothill of the historic Barunei hill near Khurda.
The PM, who was in the state today to inaugurate the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Bhubaneswar and a slew of other projects, said that the “demon of corruption” has become very strong in the state.
Addressing a massive gathering of supporters of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the PM said, “Who is feeding the demon [of corruption]? The demon of corruption has grown in chit fund, PC [percentage commission] culture… The truth of Odisha’s development is not hidden. Farmers, women are raising their voice.”
Attacking the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government, the PM asked why Odisha has not yet joined the Centre’s healthcare schemes such as Ayushman Bharat and PM’s Jan Arogya Scheme.
(Source: The Statesman)
9. BJP Moves SC Over Bengal Yatra, Hearing in Early Jan
West Bengal BJP moved the Supreme Court on Monday, 24 December seeking protection of its political right to hold state-wide ‘Save Democracy’ ‘yatras’, permission for which was declined by the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government.
The state BJP challenged the TMC government’s decision to deny permission for ‘Ganatantra Bachao Yatras’, which were scheduled to start in three phases from three different locations to touch all 42 Lok Sabha constituencies, before the Calcutta HC.
A single judge bench had quashed the state’s decision to deny permission on 20 December but a day later, a division bench tossed back the state’s appeal to the single judge bench and requested it to examine the adequacy of material given by the state for denying permission.
BJP moved the SC through advocate Mahesh Agrawal, who told TOI that the court had agreed to hear the petition in the first week of January.
(Source: The Times of India)
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