The inclusion of some leaders and exclusion of many at the Congress’s Chintan Shivir has led to much heartburn. And some of the leaders in private allege that the exercise was done in an arbitrary fashion. None of the ministers from Congress-ruled states of Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, and from Maharashtra and Jharkhand, where it shares power with alliance partners, have been invited. Neither were working presidents of state units. Many of the spokespersons, who are supposed to articulate the party’s line too, were not invited. But many were surprised to see Kanhaiya Kumar and independent MLA from Gujarat Jignesh Mevani at the venue. Both hold no position in the party. In fact, in her inaugural address, Congress president Sonia Gandhi admitted that many leaders wanted to be at the Shivir but the party had to limit participation for a variety of reasons. She said she was sure they would understand as not being in Udaipur does not in any way devalue the role they are playing in the organisation..
Hotel Fracas
THE BJP-LED Tripura government was left red-faced on Friday after a row broke out over alleged misbehavior by the elder son of a senior state minister with visiting members of a Parliamentary committee. According to an eyewitness, the minister’s son – an office-bearer of a state BJP wing – allegedly under the influence of alcohol got into an argument with a senior Congress MP in a five-star hotel where the delegation was staying. Subsequently, the chairman of the committee requested the intervention of the hotel’s private security guards, who escorted the minister’s son out. While the Left and Congress did not raise the issue with much vigour, the local Trinamool Congress unit demanded action against him.
The Deadline
Experience of the Center repeatedly failing to stick to the promised deadline to file response to a petition seeking minority rights for Hindus still afresh, Supreme Court judge Justice SK Kaul made it a point on Friday to advise Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to think again how much time he would need to file the affidavit in a plea challenging the J&K delimitation exercise. Initially, the SG sought four weeks, to which Justice Kaul said: “You know in my court four weeks mean 28 days. So, you take more time but within that time you must answer… Both sides must adhere to the timeline. This is something I follow some discipline on.” The SG then requested six weeks, which the court allowed. The Centre’s delay to respond in the Hindu minority matter, which had been pending since 2020, had irked the court so much that on January 31, it imposed a cost of Rs 7,500 on it.
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