Latest news with #Opposition
The Star
3 hours ago
- Politics
- The Star
Meeting was ‘very good'
Hot topic: Anwar and Fahmi attended the meeting on judiciary matters. PUTRAJAYA: The closed-door meeting with Pakatan Harapan MPs at Seri Perdana was described as positive by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. As Anwar came out from the meeting, he put his thumbs up and told the press that the discussion, which touched on several matters including judiciary-related concerns, was 'very good'. Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said was also present during the session. According to him, Azalina briefed lawmakers on Article 125 of the Federal Constitution, which pertains to the tenure and remuneration of Federal Court judges. 'The meeting with MPs was very, very good. It was well received and God willing, we will look into the matters raised. 'Datuk Seri Azalina was there to provide clarification on constitutional matters, particularly Article 125, including the formation of a judicial tribunal,' he told reporters here yesterday. Fahmi declined to confirm the attendance of specific individuals, stating: 'I do not have the attendance list. I was seated at the back.' Former PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli and former Cabinet minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad were not present at the meeting. Nik Nazmi, who is the MP for Setiawangsa, clarified that he was on a working trip in Singapore. Rafizi's aide confirmed that the former economy minister did not attend the briefing. Fahmi added that further details would be addressed at the post-Cabinet press conference. One Pakatan MP, speaking anonymously, said many MPs voiced concerns during the meeting – particularly about how the vacancy for the Chief Justice was left open after Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat's retirement on July 2 – had been handled. 'Several MPs criticised the delay in naming a replacement, saying it gave the Opposition room to attack the government. The Prime Minister informed us that the vacancy will be filled soon,' the MP said. A Pakatan Cabinet minister, also speaking anonymously, said the main concern raised was about negative public perception surrounding the judiciary issue. 'However, the MPs, from various parties, have urged Anwar to handle the matter more transparently, as the Opposition is capitalising on it politically. They lamented that better public relations was needed to explain the matter clearly. 'No one was emotional, the meeting was done in a very calm manner,' said the minister. Earlier, several cars belonging to Pakatan ministers were seen entering the Seri Perdana complex compound. Among them were Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad and Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming. Last Friday, Barisan Nasional MPs met Anwar in a closed-door briefing on the raging debate over the top vacancies in the judiciary.
Indian Express
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Not just Opposition, Bihar BJP also worried, plans outreach on EC drive
AS THE confusion over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) being conducted by the Election Commission in Bihar continues, the BJP too is feeling the heat. Acting reportedly on adverse reports from the ground, Bihar BJP organisation secretary Bhikhu Bhai Dalsania on Monday held a meeting with 26 state functionaries, instructing them to fan out across the state, meet voters, remove their apprehensions, and help the party's supporters with the enrolment process. Sources said the worry in the party is that it has let Opposition — which has been warning of 'mass disenfranchisement' and questioning 'the EC's haste' – drive the narrative on the issue. The Opposition has also been ahead of the BJP in ramping up the number of its Booth Level Agents (BLAs) to reach voters. Over the weekend, BJP national general secretary B L Santhosh was in Bihar, and held top-level meetings in Rajgir and Muzaffarpur. Sources said that apart from discussion on election preparations, Santhosh wanted to know 'how people were reacting to the SIR'. At Monday's meeting, sources said, Dalsania told BJP leaders to ensure that the party's BLAs visit as many polling booths as possible. From July 19 onwards, BJP leaders will also be holding Assembly constituency-wise meetings to get their own feedback on the SIR. These will go on till July 31, or one day before the publication of the first draft electoral roll. A senior BJP leader, who was present at the meeting held by Dalsania, told The Indian Express: 'We discussed people's concerns, mainly over the tearing hurry with which the EC has been going about the SIR. Even the receipt (a second enumeration form) is not being given to any voter who is applying, while most of the people claim no one has collected forms from them yet.' Despite the Opposition push to register more workers as BLAs, the BJP still has the highest, at over 52,000. The BJP leader said that notwithstanding this number advantage, the party's BLAs were yet to cover all the 73,000 polling booths. 'We look complacent as compared to the Opposition.' The leader added that the EC's decision to hold the massive exercise months before the Assembly polls had caught the state BJP as much by surprise, with its BLAs unprepared for what was to follow. 'It is only when we noticed Opposition parties being pro-active at the booth level that we realised that we needed to catch up and be equal to the task.' The BJP leader added that the period after August 1 – when the supplementary documents to be provided for enrolment as voters are to be uploaded – would be even more crucial. Their feedback showed that hardly 30% who have submitted enrolment forms so far have done so with the required documentary proof, the leader said. 'Though the EC has not provided a break-up of the collected and uploaded forms, we have gathered from field reports that 70%-80% people have submitted the forms without any of the 11 documents specified by the EC.' Election Registration Officers will be taking the final call on electoral rolls on the basis of the documents submitted. 'We want our BLAs to be involved in the SIR process till the very end,' the leader said. 'There are two types of BLAs: BLA-1, who are one per Assembly segment, covering all the 243 seats; and BLA-2, who are delegated per polling booth and who interact with Booth Level Officers of the EC. BJP functionaries will now tag along with both sets of BLAs.' A BJP spokesperson said: 'We appreciate the SIR process, but we have our concerns. We are cooperating to ensure that all valid voters stay in the list, but there are chances some who have migrated for work will get left out. We hope the EC's online app addresses this.' Between June 25, when the SIR began, till July 2, the EC data shows, total BLAs across parties in the state had risen by 13%. The opposition INDIA bloc, comprising the RJD, Congress and Left, had added 17.51% more BLAs, boosting their total from 56,038 to 65,853. Among them, the Congress nearly doubled its BLA presence, from 8,586 to 16,500 – a 92.17% jump. The NDA, led by the BJP and JD(U), saw a comparatively lesser surge of 10.86%, with their BLA count rising from 80,083 to 88,781. The BJP added barely 1.39% more BLAs in the period, going up from 51,964 to 52,689, while the JD(U) boosted its BLA numbers by 24.13%, taking its total from 27,931 to 34,669. Santosh Singh is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express since June 2008. He covers Bihar with main focus on politics, society and governance. Investigative and explanatory stories are also his forte. Singh has 25 years of experience in print journalism covering Bihar, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. ... Read More
NDTV
a day ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Aunt To Raise Infant Orphaned By Himachal's Mandi Cloudburst Tragedy
Shimla: Ten months old Neetika, who lost her parents in the flash floods triggered by the recent cloudburst in Mandi district, will now be raised by her father's younger sister. The infant was orphaned after a cloudburst struck Talwara village of Parwara panchayat in Mandi district on the intervening night of June 30 and July 1. Her father Ramesh (31) died, while her mother Radha Devi (24) and grandmother Purnu Devi (59) are still missing. On the tragic night, Ramesh had stepped out to divert the flow of water entering the house, while his wife and mother followed to help. They never returned. Their neighbour Prem Singh found the infant crying alone in the house and informed Balwant, a cousin of Ramesh who worked as a personal security officer for former chief minister and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur. After the 'Shudi' ceremony was performed on the 13th day of the family's death, the relatives decided that Neetika will be raised by her aunt Kirna Devi, who already has a son and lives in Shikauri village, about 20 kilometres away from Talwara village, Balwant told PTI on Monday. He said several people across the country and abroad had expressed willingness to adopt Neetika after hearing of the tragedy. "We are thankful to them. But we feel emotional and cannot give the only surviving member of the family for adoption," Balwant said. Earlier, Ramesh's elder sister Tara Devi had taken the child under her care. But later on Sunday it was decided that Kirna Devi would raise Neetika, after she insisted that her village has a conducive atmosphere for the child's education. The child was also offered admission in Sainik School after Class 6, Balwant added. With several people coming forward to help the infant, two bank accounts were opened in her name in the Himachal Co-operative Bank and Punjab National Bank. The money deposited in these accounts will be reserved for her education and she can access it when she turns 18, officials said. Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur visited Neetika on Saturday and enquired about her well-being. He has urged the state government to provide her benefits under the Chief Minister's Sukh Aashray Yojana. Under this scheme, the state government offers comprehensive care to thousands of orphans and destitute children -- designated as 'children of the state -- effectively acting as their guardian. Meanwhile, search operations are still underway to trace 27 people who were washed away after 10 cloudbursts, flash floods and landslides destroyed in various parts of Mandi district on June 30 night. Around 15 people had died in the tragedy.
Mint
a day ago
- Politics
- Mint
Explained: What is July 13 ‘Martyrs' Day'? Why has it triggered a political storm in Jammu and Kashmir?
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on 14 July jumped over the boundary wall of the martyrs' graveyard in Srinagar to recite prayers after he was allegedly stopped by the security forces. Abdullah said that he did not inform anyone before coming to the graveyard as he was house arrested yesterday, on 13 July, 'Martyrs' Day'. 'We came here and recited the Fatiha. They forget that these graves will always remain here. They stopped us on 13 July, but for how long can they continue to do so? We will come here whenever we want and remember the martyrs,' Abdullah said. Prominent valley-based leaders from ruling and opposition parties were not allowed on Sunday to leave their houses to prevent them from visiting the graveyard of 1931 martyrs in Srinagar. The detentions, which were not officially confirmed by police, were widely reported by leaders who posted videos and pictures showing their gates locked by security personnel to stop them from going to the Naqshband Sahib graveyard near Nowhatta in downtown Srinagar to pay tributes to the 'martyrs'. '13th July massacre is our Jallianwala Bagh. The people who laid down their lives did so against the British. Kashmir was being ruled under the British Paramountcy. What a shame that true heroes who fought against British rule in all its forms are today projected as villains only because they were Muslims. We may be denied the opportunity to visit their graves today, but we will not forget their sacrifices,' Abdullah said in a post on Sunday. Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, Sunil Sharma, dubbed the slain protesters as 'traitors' and said the ruling party was trying to indulge in 'provocative politics' and revive a separatist sentiment which was long buried following abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. 'We consider them as traitors, as I have made it clear on the floor of the assembly,' the BJP leader said. In the past few days, 13 July, 'Martyrs' Day,' has led to a political row in Jammu and Kashmir. What is the controversy about? The row goes back to the 2019 abrogation of Article 370 of Jammu and Kashmir by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union government. Prior to scrapping the erstwhile state's special status, 13 July used to be an official holiday in Jammu and Kashmir. The day was marked to commemorate the sacrifice of 22 people who led an uprising against the 'autocratic' rule of Maharaja Hari Singh in 1931, which eventually forced the Maharaja to hold the first assembly elections in the history of Jammu and Kashmir. It was a rare occasion on which both mainstream politicians and separatists were on the same page. While the government would officially commemorate the day, declaring it a holiday, the separatists would call a shutdown on the day to protest against their killing On the day, mainstream political leaders used to visit the 'Martyrs graveyard' in Naqshband Sahab area of Srinagar to pay homage to the Kashmiris who fell to the bullets of the forces during the protest. While the holiday was scrapped in 2019, the LG administration declared Maharaja Hari Singh's birth anniversary on 23 September a public holiday in 2022. Jammu and Kashmir got its first elected government post-abrogation of Article 370 in 2024. Since coming to power, the ruling National Conference has been vowing to restore the official holiday on 13 July. In fact, Valley's main political parties resolved to visit the 'Martyrs' Cemetery' on 13 July to pay their tributes. The BJP opposed any official commemoration. Srinagar Police issued a public advisory and posted on its handle on X on Saturday that the 'District Administration Srinagar has denied permission to all applicants intending to proceed towards Khawaja Bazar, Nowhatta on 13 July 2025 (Sunday)'. The district magistrate also rejected the ruling National Conference's plea seeking permission for NC president Farooq Abdullah and other senior functionaries to visit the graveyard. On 13 July, Sunday, Jammu and Kashmir Police put several leaders across the political divide under house detention to prevent them from visiting the cemetery. In 1931, a series of incidents led to discontent against the Dogra rulers of Kashmir. In June 1931, Abdul Qadeer Khan gave a fiery speech against the Dogras and asked the people to rise against them. Khan was a cook for a British Army officer who was on vacation in Kashmir, according to many accounts. Khan was charged by the Dogra regime for sedition. And in July 1931, as the trial began, a large gathering of Kashmiri Muslims assembled outside the court of the Sessions' judge in Srinagar. Eventually, the trial was shifted to Srinagar Central Jail. On 13 July, about 4,000 to 5,000 people assembled outside the jail to witness the trial. The crowd wanted to enter the premises, but were stopped. And it was during this protest that the Dogra police opened fire, killing 22 Kashmiri Muslims and injuring many others. There are conflicting versions on what led to the firing. While some say that the protestors tried to break the jail gates and pelted stones, others say the protestors were just shouting slogans outside the jail when the then Srinagar deputy commissioner arrived at the scene. We may be denied the opportunity to visit their graves today but we will not forget their sacrifices. A version also says that a local Muslim stood up to call for the noon prayers (Azaan). He was fired at by the police. The police then opened fire on the protestors, killing 22.
NDTV
a day ago
- Politics
- NDTV
'Won't Be Stopped Today': Omar Abdullah Climbs Wall Amid Martyrs' Day Row
Srinagar: In a dramatic move, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah drove to the Martyrs' Graveyard this morning, resisted police's attempts to stop him and other National Conference leaders from visiting the memorial, scaled a wall and paid tributes to Kashmiri protesters shot dead by Maharaja Hari Singh's Dogra forces on July 13, 1931. The Chief Minister's surprise feat comes a day after he and top Jammu and Kashmir leaders were barred from visiting the Martyrs' Graveyard, or Mazar-e-Shuhada, to mark the anniversary of the July 13 killings. The graveyard is attached to the shrine of Khwaja Bahawuddin Naqshbandi. "We were not allowed to read the Fatiha here yesterday. People were kept confined to their homes. When the gates were opened and I informed the control room that I wanted to come here, a bunker was set up in front of my gate and it was not removed till late at night. Today I did not tell them at all. Without telling them, I sat into the car (and drove here)," he told the media after offering his tribute at the memorial. Paid my respects & offered Fatiha at the graves of the martyrs of 13th July 1931. The unelected government tried to block my way forcing me to walk from Nawhatta chowk. They blocked the gate to Naqshband Sb shrine forcing me to scale a wall. They tried to physically grapple me… — Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) July 14, 2025 "Look at their shamelessness. Even today, they tried to stop us. We parked the car at Nowhatta Chowk. They put a bunker in front of us and tried to manhandle us. These policemen in uniform sometimes forget the law. I want to ask them, under which law did they try to stop us today? The restrictions were for yesterday. They say this is a free country, but sometimes they think we are their slaves. We are not anyone's slaves. If we are slaves, we are the people's slaves," the National Conference leader said, targeting the security forces in the Valley, which are under Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha's control. "They tried to stop us, to tear apart our flags, but their attempts failed. We came and read the fatiha," he said. The Chief Minister, ministers, MLAs and Opposition leaders were confined to their homes yesterday to prevent them from visiting the Martyrs' Memorial in Srinagar. Mr Abdullah returned from Delhi last evening and said he was "locked up" thereafter. "To borrow from the late Arun Jaitley Sb - Democracy in J&K is a tyranny of the unelected. To put it in terms you will all understand today the unelected nominees of New Delhi locked up the elected representatives of the people of J&K," he said on X. Without naming the Lieutenant Governor, he said the "unelected government locked up the elected government". The administration of the Lieutenant Governor denied permission for the Martyrs' Day function and warned of strict action against anyone who tried to proceed towards the Martyrs' Graveyard. Condemning this, Mr Abdullah posted last morning, "13th July massacre is our Jallianwala Bagh. The people who laid down their lives did so against the British. Kashmir was being ruled under the British Paramountcy. What a shame that true heroes who fought against British rule in all its forms are today projected as villains only because they were Muslims. We may be denied the opportunity to visit their graves today, but we will not forget their sacrifices." Mehbooba Mufti, PDP leader and former Chief Minister, said the "dil ki doori" Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about will truly end the "day you accept our heroes as your own just as Kashmiris have embraced yours, from Mahatma Gandhi to Bhagat Singh". "When you lay siege to the Martyrs' Graveyard, lock people in their homes to prevent them from visiting Mazar-e-Shuhada, it speaks volumes. July 13th commemorates our martyrs, those who rose against tyranny, much like countless others across the country. They will always be our heroes," she said. Sajad Lone, MLA and chief of Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference, said he had been put under house arrest. "I don't know why the union government is so keen to redefine what is sacred for the people of Kashmir. The sacrifices rendered on July 13 are sacred for all of us," he said on X, adding, "Histories that are etched in blood don't vanish". Earlier, the National Conference wrote to the Lieutenant Governor, urging him to restore the public holiday on July 13 in memory of those killed in 1931. But this request was turned down, and the district magistrate denied permission to hold any event. What Happened On July 13, 1931 July 13 is an epochal day in the history of Kashmir. On this day in 1931, a group of Kashmiris were protesting outside the Srinagar jail. They were supporters of Abdul Qadeer, who had called on Kashmiris to rise against Dogra ruler Hari Singh and was charged with sedition. On July 13, a large group of protesters gathered outside the prison where Abdul Qadeer was being held. Faced with the protesters, the Maharaja's forces opened fire, killing 22 people. The July 13 killings triggered massive protests and forced the Dogra ruler and the British to look into the grievances of the Muslim community in the Valley. The first Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir were also a political fallout of the July 13 killings. These polls marked the beginning of the democratic process in Jammu and Kashmir after centuries of autocratic rule, even though the Maharaja had sweeping powers on key matters. What Has Changed Earlier, police personnel gave a gun salute and floral tributes were offered at the Martyrs' Graveyard on July 13 every year. Political leaders would pay tributes and hold public meetings in memory of those killed in 1931. But ever since the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was revoked in 2019 and the erstwhile state was bifurcated into two Union territories, the administration has prohibited any function at the Martyrs' graveyard. Since 2020, July 13 and December 5 -- former Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister and Chief Minister Sheikh Abdullah's birth anniversary -- have been dropped as official holidays. Instead, the birth anniversary of Dogra ruler Hari Singh is now a public holiday in Jammu and Kashmir.
