Post Karnataka polls, regional parties ask Congress to be flexible

Agencies
May 20, 2018

New Delhi, May 20: The success of the Congress-JD(S) alliance in outpacing the BJP in Karnataka elections bodes well for opposition unity, with a chorus of regional voices hailing the Grand Old Partys decision to play second fiddle to a smaller outfit in the southern state.

Congratulatory messages poured in from the regions soon after BJP?s BS Yeddyurappa, unable to garner the numbers required for a simple majority in the state Assembly, bowed out as chief minister, paving the way for a JD(S)-Congress government.

The Congress partys decision to allow the Janata Dal (Secular) to take the lead in the state by installing its chief minister was applauded by many leaders, with NCP chief Sharad Pawar describing the role of the Congress as a ?sensible? one.

But while Pawar congratulated Congress president Rahul Gandhi for ousting the BJP, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, among the first to call the developments a victory of the regional front, did not mention Gandhi in her message.

?Democracy wins. Congratulations Karnataka. Congratulations Deve Gowda ji, Kumaraswamy ji, Congress and others. Victory of the ?regional front?,? she said.

The sub-text was clear: some regional leaders would not allow the Congress take the lead in forming a broad platform of the opposition.

While an opposition leader felt the Congress would need to play a more ?gracious role? in a grand alliance before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections to keep the BJP and RSS out, senior CPI leader D Raja said the question of who would lead the front should be kept open.

Gandhi had ruffled some opposition feathers when, on the eve of the Karnataka elections, he had positioned himself as a prime ministerial candidate for the next LS polls if his party did well.

Raja, however, stressed the issue of who would be prime minister in 2019 should be discussed at a later stage.

"The instant focus should be defeating the BJP," he said.

What is clear is that the Congress understands the need to keep regional parties happy -- which explains why it agreed to be the junior partner in the Karnataka government led by HD Kumaraswamy of the JD(S).

In his statement after the fall of the BJP, Gandhi lauded JD(S) chief HD Deve Gowda for the coalitions victory.

"The opposition will unite and coordinate to defeat the BJP," Gandhi said.

But this may require more give and take than the Congress is used to.

"Congress President Rahul Gandhi is the most appropriate person to lead the country,? party communications head Randeep Surjewala told PTI, though he did not elaborate.

That said, the Karnataka developments sounded a clarion call for opposition unity.

From the DMKs MK Stalin and Loktantrik Janata Dals Sharad Yadav to TDPs N Chandrababu Naidu, RJDs Tejwaswi Yadav and TRSs K Chandrashekhar Rao, every regional leader urged non-BJP forces to align to defeat the BJP.

?May this herald the coming together of secular parties,? said Stalin.

Naidu, who worked to defeat the BJP in the Telugu-speaking belt of Karnataka, said, "It is a proud day for all of us.?

The May 12 election over and done with, all eyes are now on how the Congress plays its role as the central pole of opposition unity.

In Karnataka, the party acted strategically and swiftly to win over the JD(S) with the offer of the chief ministerial post, and sacrificed its own space for larger political gains.

But the move is also being seen as a sign of the partys decline in the state.

That its seats went down from 122 in 2013 to 78 could be read as Gandhis failure to steer the party to a majority, despite hectic campaigning and addressing 85 small and big rallies over three months.

This was the first state election after Gandhi became Congress president in mid-December, and the party wanted to pull out all the stops to form a government.

This explains the partys offer of unconditional support to the JD(S), which, with its 37 seats, clinched the deal for it.

Opposition leaders said Congress would have to show the same openness and flexibility going forward and ensure it gave space to other parties, even if it wanted to lead the front.

?Congress should give space to regional parties and there should be more give and take to help bring everyone together on one common platform," senior NCP leader Tariq Anwar, a former Congressman, said.

It should target a "consensual government" with regional parties based on a policy of give and take, he said.

"Then only will a good national alliance be formed to counter the BJP in 2019," Anwar told PTI.

The NCP leader, however, batted for the Congress retaining the top post saying past experiences of giving the post to regional players had not yielded results.

"A bigger party should be the centre of any coalition government and should take the number one position. This would be better," he said adding that the target should be to defeat the BJP.

But Raja of the CPI, while terming Karnataka a "positive development", stressed that the Congress had to be "realistic and flexible".

"This situation demands a broader coalition of all democratic forces. Congress party must be realistic and flexible in its approach to regional parties and democratic forces. It should be more accommodating," Raja said.

The equations are changing. How far the Congress goes in accommodating its allies may determine how far the BJP will go in 2019.

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Agencies
August 7,2020

New Delhi, Aug 7: India's COVID-19 cases tally crossed 20 lakh mark with the highest single-day spike of 62,538 cases on Friday, said Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The COVID-19 tally rises to 20,27,075 including 6,07,384 active cases, 13,78,106 cured/discharged/migrated and 41,585 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.

Maharashtra with 1,46,268 active cases and 3,05,521 cured and discharged patients continues to be the worst affected. The state has also reported 16,476 deaths due to the infection.

Tamil Nadu has 54,184 active cases while 2,14,815 patients have been discharged after treatment in the state. 4,461 deaths have been reported due to COVID-19 in the state.

Andhra Pradesh with 80,426 active cases is the third on the list. There are 1,04,354 cured and discharged patients and 1,681 deaths reported from the state.

Delhi now has 10,072 active cases and 1,26,116 cured and discharged patients. 4,044 people have lost their lives due to the disease in the Union Territory so far. 

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News Network
June 12,2020

Washington, Jun 12: US President Donald Trump is considering suspending a number of employment visas including the H-1B, most sought-after among Indian IT professionals, in view of the massive unemployment in America due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a media report.

The proposed suspension could extend into the government’s new fiscal year beginning October 1, when many new visas are issued, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, quoting unnamed administration officials.

“That could bar any new H-1B holder outside the country from coming to work until the suspension is lifted, though visa holders already in the country are unlikely to be affected,” the daily reported.

H-1B is the most coveted foreign work visas for technology professionals from India.

Such a decision by the Trump administration is likely to have an adverse impact on thousands of Indian IT professionals. Already a large number of Indians on the H-1B visas have lost their jobs and are headed back home during the coronavirus pandemic.

The White House, however, said that no final decision has been made and the administration is considering various proposals.

“The administration is currently evaluating a wide range of options, formulated by career experts, to protect American workers and job seekers especially disadvantaged and underserved citizens — but no decisions of any kind have been made,” White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said in a statement.

In addition to the H-1B visas, the suspension could apply to the H-2B visa for short-term seasonal workers, the J-1 visa for short-term workers including camp counselors and au pairs and the L-1 visa for internal company transfers, the financial daily reported.

Meanwhile, the US Chambers of Commerce CEO Thomas Donohue on Thursday wrote a letter to Trump, expressing concern over his reported move on temporary work visas.

“As the economy rebounds, American businesses will need assurances that they can meet all their workforce needs. To that end, it is crucial that they have access to talent both domestically and from around the world,” Donohue wrote in a letter to Trump.

According to The Hill newspaper, Donohue said that American businesses need L-1 visa holders, who have a work visa valid for a relatively short amount of time, for necessary expertise.

He noted the importance of H-1B visa holders, who have a work visa valid for multiple years, for various industries, including technology, accounting and manufacturers, the newspaper said.

“Policies that would, for example, impose wide-ranging bans on the entry of nonimmigrant workers or impose burdensome new regulatory requirements on businesses that employ foreign nationals would undermine that access to talent and in the process, undercut our economy’s ability to grow and create jobs,” Donohue added.

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News Network
June 15,2020

New Delhi, Jun 15: On Monday, petrol and diesel prices across the country were raised for the ninth consecutive day by 48 paise and 59 paise, respectively.

Petrol price per litre was raised to Rs 76.26 in New Delhi, Rs 83.17 in Mumbai, Rs 79.96 in Chennai, Rs 79.17 in Hyderabad, Rs 78.73 in Bengaluru and Rs 78.10 in Kolkata.

Diesel price per litre was hiked to Rs 74.62 in New Delhi, Rs 73.21 in Mumbai, Rs 72.69 in Chennai, Rs 72.93 in Hyderabad, Rs 70.95 in Bengaluru and Rs 70.33 in Kolkata.

Since 7 June, after ending their 82-day hiatus in daily revision, state-owned oil marketing companies have increased petrol price by Rs 5 per litre and diesel by Rs 5.23 per litre.

These prices are close to levels last seen in October-November 2018 when international oil prices had spiked close to $80 per barrel. In October 2018, petrol price in Mumbai had crossed Rs 90-mark and in Delhi, it was around Rs 83 per litre.

Comparatively, on Monday, Brent crude, the international benchmark for crude oil prices, fell 2.3 percent to $37.84 a barrel over concerns of subdued demand for fuel as new coronavirus infections were reported in China and the US.

The present spike in fuel prices in India could be attributed to the fact that central and state governments, along with oil marketing companies are looking to make up for their loss in revenues due to the lockdown.

Last month, the central government had increased the excise duty on per litre of petrol by Rs 10 and per litre of diesel by Rs 13. Several state governments have also hiked their VAT or cess on fuel in the last month. In fact, now around 70 percent of the retail price of fuel is just some form of tax.

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