Category: Politics

The Supreme Court has told former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee that, “On the face of it, you look like a corrupt person.” This comes after a large amount of money, over crores of rupees, was found in his home during an investigation into a scam related to job recruitments in West Bengal.

While Chatterjee is asking for bail, the court is worried about what message it would send if he is released. They said, “What should we tell society? That corrupt people can get bail easily?” Chatterjee’s lawyer, Mukul Rohatgi, pointed out that many other people accused in the same case have gotten bail, but the judges reminded him, “You were a minister. You can’t compare yourself to them.”

The lawyer for the Enforcement Directorate (ED), S.V. Raju, said that even if Chatterjee is granted bail, he won’t be released because he has other cases to answer. Rohatgi argued that he has already been held for over two and a half years.

The judges asked how long the ED needs to finish their investigation. They want to make sure releasing Chatterjee doesn’t interfere with the investigation. Rohatgi also mentioned that the cash was not found directly from Chatterjee but from a company related to him.

The court noted that Chatterjee controlled this company and that the investigation began only after a judge requested it. They are worried about the serious charges against Chatterjee, saying that the police found a massive sum of Rs 28 crore.

Chatterjee’s lawyer requested the court consider his age and health, explaining that he is in his seventies and has collapsed during hearings. The judges are considering setting special conditions for his release if they decide to grant bail.

The court will announce its decision after hearing from both sides about these issues. Meanwhile, the courts are concerned about how many people accused of money laundering are found guilty. Chatterjee was arrested because of claims of wrongdoing in hiring teachers in West Bengal schools. He was removed from his role and party positions after his arrest.

On Tuesday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman shared great news about Indian banks. She said our banks are strong and doing well, which is really important because we can’t have banks that are struggling. This was said while she presented the Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha. She praised the Reserve Bank of India and the Finance Ministry for keeping the banking system steady, noting that even countries with good systems sometimes face bank failures.

Sitharaman mentioned how banking has changed since 2014 and said we should be proud of how banks are now managed better. Unlike before, banks are not asking the government for money because they can now raise funds on their own by selling bonds. Nowadays, we can do banking online or on our phones, which is available everywhere from Arunachal Pradesh to Rajasthan. She also highlighted how Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) help reach people who need services in remote areas.

The minister shared that the number of bank branches has grown significantly: from 3,792 to 1,65,501 branches by September 2024. Out of these, 85,116 are public sector banks, making banking easier even in rural areas. She said the number of rural branches increased from 41,855 in 2014 to 55,372 in March 2024. Semi-urban branches grew from 33,504 to 55,214, and urban branches rose from 21,007 to 29,276 over the same period.

Sitharaman also talked about women empowerment. She revealed that 68% of all Mudra loans went to women and that 44% of all Swanidhi loans were granted to them without needing collateral. A huge milestone is that 1 lakh out of 12 lakh rural Mudra bankers are women, helping them earn more money. Today, there are 53 crore Mudra bank accounts with a total of Rs 2.37 lakh crore deposited, increasing the average balance from Rs 1,065 to Rs 4,397.

On Tuesday, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra spoke out about the landslides that hit Wayanad in Kerala. She asked the government to help the people affected by the disaster and wanted to know what plans they had for recovery. The landslides, which happened on July 30, damaged three villages: Punchirimattam, Chooralmala, and Mundakkai, along with parts of Attamala. According to the government, this terrible event led to the loss of 231 lives.

Outside Parliament, Priyanka Gandhi told reporters, “People of Wayanad are not getting enough financial help. They have received very little support.” She also asked about the government’s action plan for the area. Recently, Priyanka Gandhi won the Wayanad Lok Sabha by-election by over 4.1 lakh votes, outperforming her brother, Rahul Gandhi.

A group of villagers in Markadwadi, Maharashtra, wanted to hold a new election using paper ballots after the recent assembly polls. However, they decided to abandon their plans after police warned them about possible legal trouble.

The villagers believed their winning candidate, Uttam Jankar of the NCP (SP), didn’t get enough votes in their village. During the voting, Jankar received only 843 votes compared to his rival, BJP’s Ram Satpute, who got 1,003 votes. This made the villagers suspicious of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

To prevent any conflicts, local officials banned voting from December 2 to 5. When the villagers tried to prepare for the new voting, police arrived and warned them that even casting one vote could lead to serious consequences. Jankar met with police and villagers to discuss the situation. After hearing the police’s warning that they would confiscate materials for the polling, the villagers decided to cancel the voting.

Despite this setback, Jankar and the villagers plan to continue their fight for fairness by taking their concerns to the Election Commission and the courts. One villager reported that of the 2,000 eligible voters, about 1,900 voted, but they are worried that the EVM results are not accurate.

In the recent Maharashtra elections, the majority party, Mahayuti, won 230 out of 288 seats, while Jankar’s NCP (SP) got 41 seats and the opposition managed only 46 seats.

New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla warned the members of the House on Tuesday that if they keep disrupting the meetings, he will have to hold sessions on the weekend to make up for lost time.

On Monday, the government and opposition groups agreed to end a week-long standoff in Parliament. They announced that they would discuss the Constitution, celebrating its 75th year of adoption. The Lok Sabha will discuss the Constitution on December 13 and 14, while the Rajya Sabha will take it up on December 16 and 17. To make this happen, the House will meet on Saturday, December 14, at 11 am.

Birla said, “If you continue to adjourn, you will have to attend meetings on Saturday and Sunday for every day lost.” This statement was made right after the Question Hour. He also mentioned that he did not allow any adjournment notices today.

Last week, the Lok Sabha’s meetings were canceled because of protests by opposition members over various issues, including the Adani scandal and violence in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh.

New Delhi: Almost all the opposition members in the Lok Sabha, including Rahul Gandhi, walked out of the House on Tuesday to protest the recent violence in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh.

The commotion started when Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Akhilesh Yadav asked the Speaker, Om Birla, for permission to discuss a very serious issue—the deaths of five people in the violence. But the Speaker told him that the matter could be raised during the Zero Hour, which led Yadav and his colleagues to walk out in protest.

While SP members shouted slogans, DMK member A. Raja encouraged other opposition members, including Congress members, to join the protest. Some members of the NCP and Shiv Sena-UBT also stood up to support the SP. Rahul Gandhi then joined the protest on the floor.

While the protest was ongoing, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju spoke with Yadav about the issue. After some time, Yadav signaled to his party’s MPs to leave and the opposition members, including Gandhi, walked out together. They later returned to take part in the Question Hour.

Madhu Mullassery, a well-known leader from the CPIM party, has decided to leave after many years. He has played an important role in the party and was once a member of the state committee. Mullassery’s exit has surprised many people since he has been a loyal member for a long time.

Rumors suggest that he might be joining the BJP, another political party in India. If he does switch parties, it could bring big changes to local politics. People are watching closely to see where he will go next and what that means for his supporters.

The CPIM party is going through some changes, and Mullassery’s departure raises questions about its future. Many people are curious about how this will affect local political dynamics and which direction the party will take now.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the AICC general secretary and newly elected MP, recently visited Wayanad, Kerala, where she promised to help lift the ban on night traffic on the highway passing through the Bandipur tiger reserve. This highway connects parts of Karnataka and Kerala, and local drivers have been facing a nine-hour traffic ban that makes travel difficult.

In preparation for the upcoming bypolls on November 13, Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister, DK Shivakumar, also spoke to Wayanad voters, saying that his government would look into this important issue. He mentioned that discussions had already taken place with Kerala’s Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, about easing the restrictions. He assured the voters that officials from both states would meet to talk about the situation after the bypoll.

Residents from all seven assembly segments in Wayanad are urging for the ban to be lifted, as it would help many people. The two taluks in Wayanad, Sulthan Bathery and Mananthavady, are linked to Karnataka’s Bandipur and Kakanakote forests. Currently, night traffic isn’t allowed in these areas.

The Karnataka government put this traffic ban in place ten years ago to protect wildlife, and it was backed by the high court. Officials say that about 7,000 vehicles use these highways during the day. They believe lifting the ban could harm local animals, with some even suggesting extending the ban to 12 hours starting at 6 PM.

Rahul Gandhi, who was also an MP for Wayanad, had previously supported local demands to end the night ban. His supporters even went on a hunger strike for this cause. Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan has stated that the ban is creating problems for people living in Wayanad and nearby areas. People in Wayanad have protested by marching to the Karnataka border, asking for the ban to be lifted. So far, Karnataka hasn’t shown much interest in changing the rules.

On Monday, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh criticized the Indian government for not helping private investment in manufacturing. He made this statement after a report showed that the Indian economy grew by only 5.4% from July to September 2024. This is a big drop compared to last year when it grew by 8.1%.

Ramesh pointed out that the government’s promises, like tax cuts and incentives for production, do not match reality. He said, “Make in India has turned into Make-Believe in India.” He also mentioned that manufacturing growth has slowed down to just 2.2%.

Exports are also troubling, growing by only 2.8%. This shows that the Prime Minister’s goal of making India a global manufacturing hub has not been achieved. According to Ramesh, the “Make in India” program started ten years ago, but manufacturing and exports are still struggling.

He highlighted that the share of manufacturing in India’s economy has dropped from 18.1% in 2011-12 to 14.3% in 2022-23. Ramesh raised concerns about unemployment too, pointing out that jobs in manufacturing have decreased from 51.3 million in 2017 to 35.65 million in 2022-23.

In specific sectors like garments, exports fell from $15 billion in 2013 to $14.5 billion in 2023. Meanwhile, countries like Bangladesh and Vietnam have passed India in garment exports.

Ramesh also linked the problem to cheap imports from China, stating that many small businesses in India have closed because they cannot compete. He said that over a third of small businesses making stainless steel in Gujarat have shut down due to these imports.

Lastly, Ramesh compared the current situation to when Manmohan Singh was Prime Minister, noting that India’s share of global exports grew much faster during that time. The latest reports show that India’s GDP in the second quarter of the current financial year is estimated at ₹44.10 lakh crore, a moderate growth compared to last year’s figures, but much less than the Reserve Bank of India’s prediction of 7%.

The BJP party has chosen Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani as central observers for their meeting in Maharashtra. This meeting is important because the Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) will elect their new leader, who is expected to become the next Chief Minister of the state.

Chandrashekhar Bawankule, the Maharashtra BJP president, announced that the new government’s oath-taking ceremony will happen on December 5 in the evening at Azad Maidan, located in South Mumbai. Before this ceremony, all BJP MLAs will gather to choose their new leader.

Although the party hasn’t officially announced it yet, many believe that Devendra Fadnavis, who was the Chief Minister before and was the Deputy Chief Minister in the last government, is the top choice for this important position. It is also expected that the two main partners of the party, Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party, will get the Deputy Chief Minister positions in the upcoming government.