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Good alliance in Vajpayee's regime, suffered in Modi's time says Mehbooba

Agencies
July 30, 2018

Jammu and Kashmir, July 30: Reminiscing "golden times" under former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti on Monday asserted that she "suffered" by joining hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) under the current Narendra Modi-led central government.

Addressing party workers and supporters at the 19th Foundation Day celebration of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mehbooba stepped up her pitch in an attempt to regain the lost ground. She spoke about the struggles and difficulties she had to encounter as a chief minister while leading a coalition government with the BJP in the state.

Since the state prospered under the patronage of Vajpayee-led central government despite the fact that the PDP-Congress were alliance partners in the state, Mehbooba said, "Mufti Sahab (Mufti Mohammed Sayeed) agreed to join hands with BJP again (in 2015) because we had a good understanding during Vajpayee ji's reign. But this time, it was a difficult decision. Forming an alliance with the BJP was like drinking poison. I suffered during the two years and two months of the alliance."

The state went to assembly polls in 2014 end. Mufti Mohammed Sayeed became the chief minister in March 2015 by joining hands with the BJP. His party, PDP, won 28 seats and the BJP bagged 25 in a house of 87 members. Mufti did not even rule for a year, when he passed away in January 2016. For three months, Mehbooba stayed away from taking charge. Finally on April 4, 2016 she took oath as the first woman chief minister of the trouble-torn state.

Recollecting the days of Mufti Mohammed Sayeed during Vajpayee's time, Mehbooba said: "Mufti Sahab and his time in the government was the golden time for the state. The state developed and prospered during that time. The militant activities were in control and there was peace in the state. There was ceasefire on the border. We constructed roads, colleges and universities."

However, she added, "The moment the alliance ended and the government changed, all the work for peace came undone." In the 2002 assembly elections, PDP and Congress formed the government in the state and Mufti became the chief minister. However, there was an understanding between the PDP and the Congress that the chief minister would be on a rotational basis. So, in a six-year term of the state assembly, Mufti was the chief minister for the first three years from 2002-2005. After that Congress senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad became the chief minister. Subsequently there were strains in the alliance.

Talking about the growth of her party, Mehbooba said, "There was a clear vision in the mind of the Mufti Sahab. He had no confusion about the country and state." She further talked about the work she did during her time as the chief minister of the state.

She said, "I did everything I could in the two years I had. I did not discriminate between Jammu and Kashmir. We opened same number of colleges for both the states. There was no corruption in government jobs." She tried to clarify her party's stand since there were allegations that Jammu was getting discriminated in infrastructure and developments.

She also addressed the Kathua rape case and said, "A rapist has no religion. The people who gave it a communal colour do not remember the valour of brave Dogra community." She emphasised that she did not compromise anything when it came to the development of the state.

"We went through a lot of difficulties during the two years of alliance. I never spoke about it but today, I will not hold back," said Mehbooba while talking about her time in the government.

Clearing the misgivings about her tenure, she further said, "I did not give up on anyone and stayed to work for the state. Even though the alliance ended, we are not sad about it because we did not form the alliance just to come in power. We had a bigger motive, the development of the state."

On Saturday, Mehbooba urged the Centre to seize the opportunity by extending a hand of friendship with Pakistan's Prime Minister-in-waiting Imran Khan so that issues between the two countries could be resolved.

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News Network
March 24,2020

Ahmedabad, Mar 24: The Gujarat police has detained 426 people in the last 24 hours for violating lockdown rules in force in the state to combat the novel coronavirus outbreak, a senior official said on Tuesday.

They include those who came out despite being advised home quarantine, state Director General of Police Shivanand Jha said.

"The lockdown met with around 90 per cent success. We are taking strict measures to implement the lockdown in the remaining 10-15 per cent areas. We have lodged 238 cases related to the violation of police notification and 127 cases related to quarantine rule violation. In all, we have detained 426 persons across the state," Jha told reporters in Gandhinagar.

"For better implementation of the lockdown and to address issues concerning people, we have set up a dedicated 24-hour control room and appointed two additional DGP rank officers to supervise operations. Three teams under them would work to resolve issues across the state," said Jha.

He said police commissioners and districts SPs have been asked to enforce the lockdown in an effective manner.

Essential services like vegetable and milk shops are allowed to remain open, he said, and asked people not to flock in large numbers to such shops.

The state has so far reported 33 COVID-19 cases, and one person has died of the infection.

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News Network
February 2,2020

New Delhi, Feb 2: The Congress on Sunday released its manifesto for Delhi polls, promising to implement unemployment allowance of Rs 5,000-7,500 per month and cashback schemes for water and power consumers, if voted to power.

Presenting the manifesto, Delhi Congress chief Subhash Chopra said the party will provide free power up to 300 unit per month.

The manifesto also committed to spend 25 per cent budget each year on fighting pollution and improving transport facilities.

An unemployment allowance of Rs 5,000 for graduates and Rs 7,500 for post graduates per month will be provided under the Yuva Swabhiman Yojna, he said.

The Congress will launch flagship cashback schemes for power and water supply to benefit consumers saving these resources. The party, if voted to power, will open 100 Indira Canteens to provide subsidised meals at Rs 15, Chopra said.

The Congress will challenge the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the Supreme Court and demand the Centre to withdraw the law. The party will also not implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the existing form of the National Population Register (NPR), if voted to power in Delhi.

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News Network
April 28,2020

Kochi, Apr 28: The Central government on Tuesday told Kerala High Court that the Kerala government will have to take up with other states the matter pertaining to bringing back COVID-19 affected Malayali nurses.

A Division Bench of Justice PV Asha and Justice V Shircy asked the Kerala government to examine if there is any solution that may be considered and orally noted the suggestion that perhaps a video-conference may be conducted between the states on the matter.

The matter was posted for further hearing on April 30.

Counsel for the Central government said that the "Centre has issued guidelines for the protection of health workers. But in this specific case, state governments have assured that nurses are being given proper treatment."
"The plea is on apprehensions that they are not being treated well in the other states.

Centre could help if there is any necessary requirement thereafter," the Centre's counsel said.

Advocate Abraham Vakkanal, appearing for the state government, said that state chief secretary has written to Union cabinet secretary to relax travel restrictions amid COVID-19 lockdown to bring back the nurses.

Vakkanal said that the state has sought permission and is waiting for approval and will take further actions if permission is received on the matter.

Advocate Anupama Subramaniam, appearing for the petitioner, said that 68 Malayali nurses in other states have reached out to inform that they are not being given treatment and that facilities for food and shelter are also not readily available for them.

Kerala High Court had earlier asked the Centre and the state government to file their reply on the plea.

The court was hearing a petition seeking to bring COVID-19 affected Malayali nurses back to Kerala from other States considering their "poor health and working conditions".

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