Cong hints at second term for Ansari as VP

June 18, 2012

hamid

New Delhi, June 18: Congress appears to be considering giving a second term to Vice-president Hamid Ansari, who narrowly lost out to finance minister Pranab Mukherjee in the race for UPA nomination for the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

An indication to that effect came on Sunday, when Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said in a TV interview that the party leadership could continue Ansari as VP. To a question about the possibility of a second term for Ansari as VP, Singh said, "It is not a bad idea. Ansari has conducted himself admirably as a vice-president".

Singh also confirmed that Congress, assured of majority support, does not intend to leave the post of VP for the Opposition in order to ensure Mukherjee's unanimous election as the President. "It looks unlikely because we already have the numbers," he said.

Besides SP and BSP, who have often rescued it from sticky situations, the Congress can also expect to get the Left Front's backing for Ansari in case the leadership decides to retain him. Although the Left, which had sponsored the VP five years ago, was unhappy with the way he handled the debate on Lokpal in the Rajya Sabha in the winter session, they are likely to support his second stint as well.

However, Congress sources are not sure whether Ansari would agree to have another term, something which is sure to be viewed as a consolation trophy for the former diplomat who in the race for the Congress ticket for the Rahstrapati Bhawan appeared to be snapping at Mukherjee's heels until the last lap.

Singh's TV interview was marked by tough talk against Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee, although he stressed that the Congress on its own would not want her to leave the ruling coalition and does not favor "throwing her out".

Reflecting Congress's annoyance with Banerjee's defiant opposition to Mukherjee's choice for the Rashtrapati Bhawan, he said there is a "limit" to which one can "bend" as certain eventualities have to be faced if they cannot be avoided. Singh was replying to question as to whether the Congress is ready to bend over backwards to prevent Banerjee's exit from the UPA-II if she chooses to leave the ruling alliance.

In contrast, the Congress leader was all praise for SP boss Mulayam Singh, who had teamed up with Banerjee to block Congress nominees but de-coupled himself in 24 hours to clear the way for Mukherjee's elevation.

Singh called the SP chief as a "pragmatic political person", stoutly rejecting suggestions of a "deal" between the Congress and the SP such as the promise of some relief to Mulayam in CBI cases or a financial package for UP.

Justifying the party's tough response to Banerjee, he said: "All efforts have been made to console her, accept her views, accept her tantrums...beyond a certain limit, the decision is hers...there is a limit to which you can bend to...there are certain eventualities, which if it cannot be avoided have to be faced." He said that it was "very embarrassing" for party chief Sonia Gandhi and PM Manmohan Singh that Trinamool boss not only rejected the names of both UPA nominees but joined hands with the SP and announced three more names, including that of the PM when they "did not have consent of any of the three".

Singh felt that the step taken by the "erratic" Banerjee was "extremely immature" and appealed to her that she should reconsider her decision and respond to the "magnanimity" shown by Mukherjee and support his candidature. To questions on why Banerjee resorted to such an action, Singh said that the Trinamool chief "miscalculated".

"She has been erratic in some way...That is Mamata...nothing is impossible, nothing is unexpected as far as Mamata is concerned" was his refrain to a volley of questions about Banerjee's behaviour.

He also felt that Banerjee continuing to back Kalam is a "mistake" which she should "avoid".

Regarding the challenge before the Congress to find a replacement for Mukherjee as the finance minister and as the Leader of the Lok Sabha, Singh admitted that there could be choppy days for a while as "we do not have many people of his stature and abilities". However, he expressed confidence that the vacuum will be filled as UPA has "no dearth of talent".

Asked about the possibility of a new finance minister from outside the political domain like Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, the Congress leader said," it is for the PM to decide...the PM has every right to appoint anyone even from outside" as the finance minister.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
March 12,2020

New Delhi, Mar 12: The Supreme Court told the Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday that as of now, there was no law that could back their action of putting up roadside posters of those accused of vandalism during anti-CAA protests in Lucknow.

An apex court bench refused to stay the March 9 Allahabad High Court order directing the Yogi Adityanath administration to remove the posters.

The top court, which grilled the Uttar Pradesh government for putting up such posters in public, described the plea as a matter that needed "further elaboration and consideration".

A vacation bench of justices U U Lalit and Aniruddha Bose said a "bench of sufficient strength" would consider next week the Uttar Pradesh government's appeal against the Allahabad High Court order directing the state administration to remove the posters of those accused of vandalism during anti-CAA protests.

It directed the apex court registry to put up the case file before Chief Justice of India (CJI) S A Bobde so that a "bench of sufficient strength can be constituted at the earliest to hear and consider" the case next week.

During the hearing, the bench told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government, that it was a matter of "great importance".

It asked Mehta whether the state government had the power to put up such posters.

The top court, however, said there was no doubt that action should be taken against rioters and they should be punished.

Mehta told the court that the posters were put up as a "deterrent" and the hoardings only said that these persons were liable to pay for their alleged acts during the violence.

Senior advocate A M Singhvi, appearing for former IPS officer S R Darapuri whose poster has also been affixed in Lucknow, told the bench that the state was duty-bound to show the authority of law backing its action.

He said the action of the Uttar Pradesh government amounted to a "mega blanket" approach of naming and shaming these persons without final adjudication and it was an open invitation to common men to lynch them as the posters also had their addresses and photographs.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
Agencies
June 30,2020

United Nations, Jun 30: India accounts for 45.8 million of the world's 142.6 million "missing females" over the past 50 years, a report by the United Nations said on Tuesday, noting that the country along with China form the majority of such women globally.

The State of World Population 2020 report released on Tuesday by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the world organisation's sexual and reproductive health agency, said that the number of missing women has more than doubled over the past 50 years - from 61 million in 1970 to a cumulative 142.6 million in 2020.

Of this global figure, India accounted for 45.8 million missing females as of 2020 and China accounted for 72.3 million.

Missing females are women missing from the population at given dates due to the cumulative effect of postnatal and prenatal sex selection in the past, the agency said.

Between 2013 and 2017, about 460,000 girls in India were missing' at birth each year. According to one analysis, gender-biased sex selection accounts for about two-thirds of the total missing girls, and post-birth female mortality accounts for about one-third, the report said.

Citing data by experts, it said that China and India together account for about 90-95 per cent of the estimated 1.2 million to 1.5 million missing female births annually worldwide due to gender-biased (prenatal) sex selection.

The two countries also account for the largest number of births each year, it said.

The report cites data by Alkema, Leontine and others, 2014 National, Regional, and Global Sex Ratios of Infant, Child, and under-5 Mortality and Identification of Countries with Outlying Ratios: A Systematic Assessment' from The Lancet Global Health.

According to their analysis, India has the highest rate of excess female deaths, 13.5 per 1,000 female births, which suggests that an estimated one in nine deaths of females below the age of 5 may be attributed to postnatal sex selection.

The report notes that governments have also taken action to address the root causes of sex selection. India and Vietnam have included campaigns that target gender stereotypes to change attitudes and open the door to new norms and behaviours.

They spotlight the importance of daughters and highlight how girls and women have changed society for the better. Campaigns that celebrate women's progress and achievements may resonate more where daughter-only families can be shown to be prospering, it said.

The report said that successful education-related interventions include the provision of cash transfers conditional on school attendance; or support to cover the costs of school fees, books, uniforms and supplies, taking note of successful cash-transfer initiatives such as Apni Beti Apna Dhan' in India.

It said that preference for a male child manifested in sex selection has led to dramatic, long-term shifts in the proportions of women and men in the populations of some countries.

This demographic imbalance will have an inevitable impact on marriage systems. In countries where marriage is nearly universal, many men may need to delay or forego marriage because they will be unable to find a spouse, the report said.

This so-called "marriage squeeze", where prospective grooms outnumber prospective brides, has already been observed in some countries and affects mostly young men from lower economic strata.

"At the same time, the marriage squeeze could result in more child marriages, the report said citing experts.

Some studies suggest that the marriage squeeze will peak in India in 2055. The proportion of men who are still single at the age of 50 is forecast to rise after 2050 in India to 10 per cent, it said.

The UN report said that every year, millions of girls globally are subjected to practices that harm them physically and emotionally, with the full knowledge and consent of their families, friends and communities.

At least 19 harmful practices, ranging from breast ironing to virginity testing, are considered human rights violations, according to the UNFPA report, which focuses on the three most prevalent ones: female genital mutilation, child marriage, and extreme bias against daughters in favour of sons.

Harmful practices against girls cause profound and lasting trauma, robbing them of their right to reach their full potential, says UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem.

This year, an estimated 4.1 million girls will be subjected to female genital mutilation. Today, 33,000 girls under age 18 will be forced into marriages, usually to much older men and an extreme preference for sons over daughters in some countries has fuelled gender-biased sex selection or extreme neglect that leads to their death as children, resulting in the 140 million missing females.

The report said that ending child marriage and female genital mutilation worldwide is possible within 10 years by scaling up efforts to keep girls in school longer and teach them life skills and to engage men and boys in social change.

Investments totalling USD 3.4 billion a year through 2030 would end these two harmful practices and end the suffering of an estimated 84 million girls, it said.

A recent analysis revealed that if services and programmes remain shuttered for six months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, an additional 13 million girls may be forced into marriage and 2 million more girls may be subjected to female genital mutilation between now and 2030.

The pandemic both makes our job harder and more urgent as so many more girls are now at risk, Kanem said.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
May 18,2020

New Delhi, May 18: With the highest-ever spike of 5,242 new cases in last 24 hours, the total number of positive COVID-19 cases in India reached 96,169 on Monday, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

With 157 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the death toll has risen to 3,029, as per the latest update by the ministry.

Out of the total number of cases, 36,824 have been cured/discharged/migrated.

This comes a day after the nationwide lockdown, imposed as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of COVID-19, was extended till May 31.

Maharashtra remains the worst-affected state due to the virus with 33,053 cases, including 1,198 deaths. It is followed by Gujarat (11,379), Tamil Nadu (11,224) and Delhi (10,054).

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.