Uncertainty in Rahul's candidature dampens campaign spirit in Wayanad

News Network
March 28, 2019

Kozhikode, Mar 28: The delay and certainty in the official announcement by the party high command on the recently-spread news of the All India Congress Committee president Rahul Gandhi's candidature in Wayanad Lok Sabha Constituency in Kerala has dampened the spirit of the election campaigning in the constituency.

Though the Congress leader K Muraleedharan had been actively campaigning in Vatakara LS constituency, his candidature in the seat is yet to be officially announced by the party's all India leadership. 

It was the former Kerala Chief Minister and AICC general secretary Oommen Chandy, who broke the news on January 23 that the AICC chief would opt Wayanad as his second seat (first being Amethi) to contest for the LS election. 

This has followed by senior Congress leaders from Kerala and its allies in the United Democratic Front (UDF) welcoming the decision of the Congress leadership.

This big announcement had created an unprecedented euphoria among the party circles in the State, thanks to the big stature of the candidate, who is also the Prime Ministerial candidate in the 17th Lok Sabha, if Congress would get a majority to rule.

The Congress nominee for the seat, T Siddique, had jumped the guns by declaring his withdrawal from the candidature to pave way for the AICC chief's contest from Wayanad constituency. In fact, the party cadres in the constituency had started campaigning for the AICC chief with a committed goal to ensure the victory of their chief with a record margin of votes. And the Congress’s rank and file has been awaiting the official announcement on the “Saturday Surprise” – the news on Rahul’s candidature in Wayanad.

However, a delay and the uncertainty on the official announcement had gloomed the party leaders in the constituency, vis-à-vis the State. The comment by senior Congress leader P C Chacko on Sunday last that no decision in this regard has been taken either by Mr Gandhi or the AICC had further dampened the spirit of the Congress camp.

No matter what the outcome on the "Saturday surprise" would be, the UDF circles in Wayanad continue to campaign for the "Congress" candidate in the constituency. The UDF election committee of Wayanad had launched its mandalam-based meetings from Monday. 

However, the ambiguity over the “candidate” has been playing spoilsport in the campaigning, for the campaigners find it difficult to answer the queries of the voters, whether Mr Gandhi is contesting or Mr Siddique.

In fact, even the candidature of Mr Siddique and that of K Muraleedharan, the Congress nominee for the Vatakara LS seat, has not yet been officially declared by the party high command. The nominees for these two LS constituencies has not figured even in the 12 th list of the Congress. Adding further confusion in this was the “Saturday surprise” from Mr Chandy on Rahul’s entry in Wayanad.

Mr Siddique is among the campaigners to canvass votes for the UDF candidate, which could either be he himself, who is also the Kozhikode DCC President or the AICC President Mr Gandhi. Now all are eagerly awaiting a final decision on this to come from the party high command.

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News Network
March 5,2020

Lucknow, Mar 5: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said last night that the role of teachers would come under the scanner when "anti-India" slogans are raised at universities and institutions of higher education.

"When anti-India slogans are raised at institutions of higher education, we should be prepared to ask why this type of distortion occurrs among our students?" he said at a programme organised by the Basic Shiksha Parishad in Lucknow.

"We begin our work with pledge for the country's unity and integrity and today slogans are raised for the division of the nation. In such a situation, questions are raised over the role of teachers who are considered equal to god in society," he said.

"Who all are involved in this sin and chaos? Governments can provide resources, but the one who has given them basic education, who has given them secondary education and who has led them to that place, all of them should evaluate their actions today," the chief minister said.

Speaking about the condition of education in the state when his government came to power three years ago, he said there was an atmosphere of chaos and anarchy in the state and the condition of basic education was very bad.

"The worst problem was that of proxy teachers. Our government started the process of prohibiting proxy teachers in the first phase," he said.

Adityanath said that a teacher is not just a government servant, but the fate of the nation. He said teachers should learn from Chanakya.

Had Chanakya confined himself to Nalanda University, he would not have been able to make India a superpower of the world during that period. Teachers will have to prepare themselves according to the challenges and need of society, he added.

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Agencies
May 1,2020

New Delhi, May 1: The Centre has finalsed the criteria for delimitation of various zones after May 3. It has identified at least 130 districts as red zones, 284 orange zones and 319 green zones.

According to a letter written by Health Secretary Preeti Sudan to the Chief Secretaries of all States and UTs, all the states have to delineate the containment areas and buffer zones in the identified red and orange zone districts and notify the same.

The letter said, the national capital has at least 11 red zones, Uttar Pradesh 19 red zones, 36 orange zones and 20 green zones while, the state of Haryana has 2 red zones, 18 orange zones and 2 green zones.

The Gautam Buddha Nagar in Uttar Pradesh has been identified as a red zone district while, Ghaziabad has been designated as an orange zone. The national capital has no orange and green zone; there are only red zones according to the letter.

In Maharashtra, Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Nashik come in the red zone.

In West Bengal, Kolkata, Howrah, 24 Parganas -- both North and South have been identified as red zones while Hooghly, Nadia, Murshidabad etc have been marked as orange zones.

In the southern part of India, Kerala has 2 red zones and 10 orange zones, while Tamil Nadu has 12 red zones and 24 orange zones.

The Health Secretary said that the list will be revised on a weekly basis or earlier and communicated to states for further follow-up action in consonance with the directions issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 based on field feedback and additional analysis at state level, states may designate additional red or orange zones as appropriate.

However, states may not relax the zonal classification of districts classified as red or orange as communicated by the Ministry. This classification is multi-factorial and takes into consideration incidence of cases, doubling rate, extent of testing and surveillance feedback to classify the districts.

A district will be considered under green zone, if there are no confirmed cases so far or there is no reported case since the last 21 days in the district.

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News Network
May 30,2020

Coronavirus lockdown in India has been extended till June 30 with more relaxations.

While the lockdown has been extended in containment zones, relaxations outside containment zones include reopening of religious places for public  from June 8. 

Hotels, restaurants and shopping malls also to open from June 8. Decision on opening educational institutions to be taken in July.
 

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