Latest news with #LalSalam
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
‘Lal Salam' in Srinagar: CPM demands restoration of Article 370, talks with Pakistan
SRINAGAR: Srinagar's Tagore Hall reverberated with chants of 'Lal Salam' on Wednesday as CPM held a one-day convention calling for the restoration of Article 370 and initiation of dialogue with Pakistan. The convention stood out as a rare political event in Kashmir Valley, where even most of the regional parties have largely shifted discourse to demanding the restoration of statehood rather than raising the issue of restoring J&K's special status. Addressing party workers at the event, titled 'Convention for the Restoration of Legitimate Constitutional Rights of the People of Jammu and Kashmir', CPM general secretary M Alexander Baby said the abrogation of Article 370, which granted special status to J&K, amounted to betrayal. 'Before adding it into the Constitution of India, Article 370 was thoroughly deliberated upon and agreed to,' Baby said. He hit out at Union home minister Amit Shah for claiming that the abrogation of Article 370 had brought peace and development to Kashmir. Baby, accompanied by several party MPs and other functionaries, also visited border areas in Uri to assess the destruction caused by Pakistani shelling during Operation Sindoor. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Memperdagangkan CFD Emas dengan salah satu spread terendah? IC Markets Mendaftar Undo He said the compensation offered to affected residents was inadequate. 'Govt is providing only Rs 1.3 lakh for damaged houses and residential structures. That amount is meagre,' he said, adding that party MPs would raise the issue in the Lok Sabha. The CPM leader, who also met family members of Adil Shah, the ponywallah killed in Pahalgam terror attack, said Kashmiris had been fighting terrorism for years, but the current administration had marginalised elected representatives of the state. During the security review meetings, it's the LG, a nominee of the Centre, who chaired the meeting, while the elected chief minister Omar Abdullah was excluded, Baby said, adding that 'this only emboldens the terrorists'. Baby asserted that terrorism must be fought, but war was not a solution. 'Military options are limited. On May 7, certain steps were taken, but we must stop there and begin negotiations,' he said, calling for bilateral talks between India and Pakistan. Rejecting any third-party intervention, he said US President Donald Trump shouldn't have any role. CPM leader from Kashmir, M Y Tarigami, also criticised the central govt for bifurcating J&K and stripping it of statehood and special status. 'This is the only region in the country where such a reversal (from state to Union Territory) has happened. Elsewhere, UTs have been upgraded to full states,' Tarigami said.
New Indian Express
26-04-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
JNU students' polls see 5% decline in turnout
NEW DELHI: The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) elections held on Friday witnessed a turnout of 68.3%, a decline of 5% from the turnout record previous year. In the 2024 students' body polls, the university saw 73% voting, the highest in the past 12 years. However this year, out of the 7,906 registered votes, 5,400 were polled on Friday. The polling was held in two sessions – between 9 am and 1 pm and between 2.30 pm and 5.30 pm. The counting of votes is scheduled to begin late on Friday night, and the results are expected by April 28. This year, 57% of total voters were male while 43% were female votes. The contest is apparently intense and sharply polarised, with new alliances redrawing old battle lines on the JNU campus. The students' union polls this time witnessed major realignments with the long-standing Left alliance getting splintered. The All India Students Association (AISA) had allied with Democratic Students' Federation (DSF), while the Students' Federation of India (SFI) had joined hands with the Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students' Association (BAPSA), All India Students' Federation (AISF), and Progressive Students' Association to form a bloc. The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) had fielded a full panel comprising Shikha Swaraj for president, Nittu Goutham for vice-president, Kunal Rai for general secretary, and Vaibhav Meena for joint secretary. Polling began around 9 am at the 17 polling stations set up across the campus at different centres of specialised studies and continued till 6 pm. Supporters of different outfits chanted slogans and touted their candidates as students queued up to cast their votes at respective booths. 'Jai Bheem', Bharat Mata Ki Jai', and 'Lal Salam' along with beats of drum rented the air as a large number of students flocked the polling booths after 11 am. Highlights Of the 7,906 registered votes, 5,400 were polled on Friday, 68.3 % of electorate Polling began around 9am at 17 booths across the JNU campus; continued till 6pm Counting scheduled to begin Friday night; results are expected by April 28 2024 JNUSU polls saw 73% voting, highest in 12 years, with Left alliance victorious
New Indian Express
25-04-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Amid dhaplis and drums, JNUSU presidential debates focus on Pahalgam, Waqf Act
NEW DELHI: The political atmosphere at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) was charged as the presidential debates for the JNUSU (Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union) elections took place ahead of voting on Friday. The campus was alive with drumbeats, flag-waving and slogans as rival camps clashed. ABVP supporters shouted 'Kashmir hamara hai' and 'Hindu lives matter,' while AISA supporters responded with chants of 'Azadi' and 'Lal Salam,' alongside a Palestinian flag. From Pahalgam terror strike to Palestine and CAA-NRC to Waqf Act, the debates, which began around 11.30 pm and continued until 4 am, addressed both local and national issues. The candidates were given ten minutes each to speak. Prior to the speeches, a two-minute silence was held for the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack. ABVP's presidential candidate, Shikha Swaraj, referenced the attack, asking, 'To those who say terrorism has no religion—were the victims not asked their faith?' She positioned ABVP as the 'rising sun' of campus politics, criticising the Left with the slogan: 'Andhera hai, raat hai… laal andhera chhantega.' SFI candidate Chaudhary Tayyaba Ahmad focused on Kashmir, questioning the central government's handling of violence in the region. She also criticised ABVP for 'harassing female students' and called for the reinstatement of the Gender Sensitization Committee Against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH) and an increase in funding for labs and fellowships. NSUI's Pradeep Dhaka took a broader political approach, connecting issues like the farmers' protests and the Adani scandal, while AISA's Nitish Kumar emphasised JNU's electoral integrity, saying, 'This is no mayoral election in Chandigarh to be rigged. This is JNU!' The political alliances in the election have shifted this year. AISA has joined forces with the Democratic Students' Federation (DSF), while SFI, BAPSA, AISF, and PSA form another bloc. ABVP has fielded a full panel, while AISA-DSF has its own candidates. With 7,906 students eligible to vote, 57% male and 43% female, the contest is both wide-ranging and fiercely personal. Polling will take place in two sessions on April 25. The results will be out on April 28.
