No change in govt’s stand on Sabarimala says Kerala CM

Agencies
August 29, 2019

Kochi, Aug 29: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday asserted that there was no change in the CPI(M)-LDF government's stance on Sabarimala and lashed out at the BJP saying the saffron party had "cheated" devotees in the name of a new legislation.

"There is no change in the state government's stand on Sabarimala. Our stand was to implement the Supreme Court order. If the court orders otherwise, we will act accordingly," Vijayan told reporters here.

The apex court had on September 28 last year allowed women of all age groups to offer prayers at the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala, thereby lifting the centuries old ban on girls and women in the 10-50 age group.

Protests led by right wing outfits and BJP had broken out all over the state after the LDF government decided to implement the court verdict.

The ruling CPI-M had received a severe drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls this year as the party-led Left Democratic Front managed to bag only one of 20 seats in the state.

The opposition Congress-led UDF which bagged 19 seats and the BJP had alleged that the government's stand on the Sabarimala issue had led to its rout.

"No one need to think that the factors that led to the Lok Sabha results in the state will also affect the state Assembly bypoll at Pala. BJP will always use Sabarimala.

It is not going to affect us," Vijayan said on Thursday.

The BJP, which had earlier claimed that the Union government would pass an ordinance in Parliament (to circumvent the apex court verdict on Sabarimala) had "cheated" those who believed in their "false narratives," he said.

"Where are those who claimed that they will bring out a new law with regard to Sabarimala matter? Now they (BJP) are saying that it is not possible. Have they not cheated those who had trusted them?" Vijayan asked.

"Even the union ministers have publicly said it was not possible to bring a legislation against the Supreme Court orders. Many BJP leaders have said that. So those who believed them have been cheated.

This is going to affect them not us," Vijayan said.

When it was pointed that the CPI(M) state secretary had earlier said the party was with the devotees, Vijayan said the party secretary was right.

"We had made it clear that the party was with the devotees and the same was reiterated in many party forums.

While addressing public meeting across the state, I have said we were not against the devotees," he said.

The renaissance movement was not against the devotees, but was launched to counter the superstitions and social evils prevailing in the society, he said.

Vijayan said the self-criticism which was raised during the CPI(M)'s state committee meeting was that the Left was unable to counter the false narratives and not about the stand taken on the Sabarimala issue.

"But certain political parties, which claim that they are the apostles of devotees, had managed to spread allegation that the Left was against the devotees. We were not cautious enough to counter such allegations during the elections," Vijayan added.

Certain parties want to rewrite the Constitution of the country but as of now, an elected government can perform only according to the Constitution, he said.

"Our country is run by the Constitution. We can perform only according to the Constitution. There are certain elements which want to to rewrite the Constitution. That's a different thing. But as of now, we have the Constitution.

So we can take action only as per it," the chief minister said.

Responding to Vijayan's statements, the BJP lashed out saying it shows the Left's "ideological bankruptcy." The Congress alleged that the CPI(M) and the state government were cheating the public with their dual stand on Sabarimala.

The believers had unitedly reacted against the LDF government decision on Sabarimala which reflected in the Lok Sabha polls, Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said.

"In the last election people reacted to the state government's stand on Sabarimala. And now, when the CPI(M) says that the stand of the government distanced people from the party, the CM today said there is no change in the policy," Chennithala said.

On January 2, two had women entered the temple early in the morning leading to violence across the state by right wing elements chanting Ayyappa mantras.

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Agencies
June 14,2020

New Delhi, Jun 14: Petrol price on Sunday was hiked by a record 62 paise per litre and that of diesel by 64 paise as oil companies for the eighth day in a row adjusted retail rates in line with cost since ending an 82-day hiatus in rate revision.

Petrol price in Delhi was hiked to Rs 75.78 per litre from Rs 75.16 while diesel rates were increased to Rs 74.03 a litre from Rs 73.39, according to a price notification of state oil marketing companies.

Rates have been increased across the country and vary from state to state depending on the incidence of local sales tax or VAT.

The 62 paise a litre increase in petrol and 64 paise hike in diesel price is the highest surge in rates since the daily price revision was started in June 2017.

This is the eighth daily increase in rates in a row since oil companies on June 7 restarted revising prices in line with costs, after ending an 82-day hiatus.

In eight hikes, petrol price has gone up by Rs 4.52 per litre and diesel by Rs 4.64 -- a record increase in rates in any eight days since the daily price revision was introduced.

The freeze in rates was imposed in mid-March soon after the government hiked excise duty on petrol and diesel to shore up additional finances.

Oil PSUs Indian Oil Corp (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL), instead of passing on the excise duty hikes to customers, adjusted them against the fall in the retail rates that was warranted because of international oil prices falling to two-decade lows.

The government had first raised excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 3 per litre each on March 14 and then again on May 5 by a record Rs 10 per litre in case of petrol and Rs 13 on diesel. The two hikes gave the government Rs 2 lakh crore in additional tax revenues.

State-owned fuel retailers IOC, BPCL and HPCL had frozen petrol and diesel prices since March 16, as if anticipating the government move and set off gains they accrued from continuing drop in international oil prices against the excise duty hike.

They, however, promptly passed the increase in local sales tax or VAT by state governments such as Rs 1.67 increase in VAT on petrol and Rs 7.10 in diesel by the Delhi government on May 4.

The total incidence of excise duty on petrol has risen to Rs 32.98 per litre and that on diesel to Rs 31.83. The excise tax on petrol was Rs 9.48 per litre when the Narendra Modi government took office in 2014 and that on diesel was Rs 3.56 a litre.

The government had between November 2014 and January 2016 raised excise duty on petrol and diesel on nine occasions to take away gains arising from plummeting global oil prices.

In all, duty on petrol rate was hiked by Rs 11.77 per litre and that on diesel by 13.47 a litre in those 15 months that helped government's excise mop up more than double to Rs 2,42,000 crore in 2016-17 from Rs 99,000 crore in 2014-15.

It cut excise duty by Rs 2 in October 2017 and by Rs 1.50 a year later. But it raised excise duty by Rs 2 per litre in July 2019.

It again raised excise duty on March 14 by Rs 3 per litre.

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News Network
August 7,2020

Kozhikode: An Air India Express flight from Dubai with 190 people on board overshot the Kozhikode tabletop runway on landing there today. The Boeing 737 “fell off” the runway into the valley, broke into two causing death and devastation. 

According to reports, around 20 people were dead including two pilots.

An Air India spokesperson said: “Air India Express flight IX 1344 operated by Boeing 737 aircraft from Dubai to Calicut overshot the runway at Kozhikode at 7.41 pm Friday. No fire reported at the time of landing. There are 174 passengers, 10 infants, two pilots and five cabin crew on board. Rescue operations are on and passengers are being taken to hospital for medical care. We will soon share the update in this regard.”

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is probing this accident. “Prima facie, the aircraft landed beyond the touchdown point and fell into a valley. It has broken into two. We suspect some casualties. More information is awaited,” said a senior DGCA official.

Taking to twitter, defence minister Rajnath Singh wrote: “Devastating news from Kozhikode, Kerala. I am deeply anguished by the loss of lives due to an accident carrying several passengers on Air India flight. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured.”

Foreign minister S Jaishankar tweeted: “Deeply distressed to hear about the Air India Express tragedy at Kozhikode. Prayers are with the bereaved families and those injured. We are ascertaining further details.”

While, senior BJP leader from Kerala K J Alphons tweeted: “Second tragedy of the day in Kerala: Air India Express skids off the run way at Kozhikode, front portion splits , pilot dies and lots of passengers injured . All passengers evacuated. Very lucky the aircraft didn’t catch fire.”

More details are awaited.

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News Network
March 20,2020

New Delhi, Mar 20: Bodies of the four Nirbhaya convicts who were hanged on Friday morning at Tihar Jail have been sent to hospital for a post-mortem, following which it will be handed over to the families, according to an official.

After the hanging at 5:30 am today, the bodies were taken from Tihar Jail to Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) Hospital for post mortem at around 8:20 am.

Tihar jail Director-General Sandeep Goel said that the bodies will be handed over to the families after the post mortem.

The families, however, will have to give a written undertaking that they will not make a public demonstration of the cremation or burial of the executed person.

The superintendent will also consult the District Magistrate and the Deputy Commissioner of Police for arrangements for the disposal of the body.

The post mortem comes in line with the Supreme Court's order in Shatrughan Chauhan's case in January 2014, which had mandated the same observing that there is a dearth of experienced hangman in the country.

"By making the performance of post mortem obligatory, the cause of the death of the convict can be found out, which will reveal whether the person died as a result of the dislocation of the cervical vertebrate or by strangulation which results on account of too long a drop," the apex court had said in its order.

"Our constitution permits the execution of death sentence only through the procedure established by law and this procedure must be just, fair and reasonable," the order added.

All four convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case -- Akshay Singh Thakur, Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma, and Mukesh Singh -- were hanged till death at 5:30 am this morning.

The case pertains to the brutal gang-rape and killing of a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus on the night of December 16, 2012, by six people including a juvenile in the national capital. The woman had died at a Singapore hospital a few days later.

One of the adults accused had allegedly committed suicide in the prison during the trial, while the juvenile was released from a correction home after a period of three years.

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