Tag: politics

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Election Commission to accept Aadhaar cards as proof of identity during the ongoing voter re-verification exercise in Bihar, adding it to the list of 11 documents already deemed valid. The order comes in connection with the poll panel’s special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral roll ahead of the state assembly election later this year. A bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, issuing a verbal order in court, said Aadhaar should be accepted as the 12th identity document for inclusion or exclusion from the voter list. The court clarified, however, that Aadhaar cannot be used to establish citizenship, and officials would be allowed to verify the genuineness of the card. The ruling overruled objections from the Election Commission, whose counsel argued that 99.6 per cent of the 7.24 crore voters in the draft roll had already submitted documents and that adding Aadhaar at this stage would not serve much purpose. The Commission had also expressed concerns over forgery, but the court observed that the risk existed for all documents, not just Aadhaar. The opposition, including the Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), has challenged the revision exercise, calling it an attempt to disenfranchise communities that traditionally back them. The Congress has accused the BJP and the Election Commission of collusion to commit voter fraud. The EC, however, has defended the SIR, arguing it helped identify lakhs of ineligible voters, including foreigners, and insisted the process was carried out transparently. Acknowledging that only genuine citizens should be allowed to vote, the court said people using forged documents must be excluded from the electoral roll. The inclusion of Aadhaar, it noted, would give those excluded an additional option to prove identity when challenging removal from the list. The SIR has already led to a sharp reduction in Bihar’s voter rolls—from 7.9 crore before the exercise to 7.24 crore after. On earlier dates, the court had made 12 political parties part of the hearings and directed them to submit status reports on assistance to deleted voters. It also asked the Bihar State Legal Services Authority to deploy paralegal volunteers to help citizens and political parties file claims and objections. The court described the ongoing controversy as “largely a trust issue” and stressed the need for greater transparency and cooperation between the Election Commission, political parties, and voters in the state.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “show some courage” and retaliate against U.S. tariffs by imposing a 75% duty on American imports. Speaking at a press conference in Gujarat, Mr. Kejriwal said the Centre’s decision to exempt 11% duty on cotton imports from the U.S. until December 31, 2025, would severely harm Indian farmers, particularly in Gujarat, while benefitting American growers. “This will make U.S. farmers rich and Gujarat cultivators poor,” he alleged. India currently has an import duty exemption on raw cotton to support the textile industry and reduce input costs. The government has argued that the move would strengthen India’s export competitiveness and revive orders for small and medium enterprises, especially amid steep U.S. tariffs. Mr. Kejriwal, however, said the policy amounted to surrender. “America has imposed 50% tariff on exports from India. You impose a 75% tariff on imports coming from America, and the country is ready to bear it. Just impose it. Then see if Trump bows down or not,” he said, calling U.S. President Donald Trump a “coward” who had backed down against other countries that resisted his tariff moves. The former Delhi chief minister also demanded the reinstatement of the 11% import duty on U.S. cotton, fixing of Minimum Support Price (MSP) at ₹2,100 per 20 kg, and subsidies on fertilizers and seeds to support Indian farmers. He warned that the government’s policy would leave farmers unable to sell their produce when the new harvest arrives in October–November. “When cotton from the U.S. will arrive, farmers here will get less than ₹900 in the market. They have taken loans for seeds, fertilizers, and labour, and will be left with no option except to commit suicide,” he claimed. Mr. Kejriwal accused the Modi government of bowing to U.S. pressure. “Other countries responded strongly to Trump’s tariffs, and he had to bow down. But our government reduced duties instead. This is helplessness,” he said. Mr. Kejriwal had travelled to Gujarat to attend a ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ at Chotila in Surendranagar district, which was adjourned due to heavy rains.

Solapur, Maharashtra – The controversy over Deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s public rebuke of young IPS officer Anjana Krishna V S has intensified, with growing public support for the officer and sharp criticism of political interference in policing. The incident occurred on August 31 outside Kurdu village in Madha tehsil, Solapur, where Anjana, a 2022-batch IPS officer serving as SDPO, acted to control a tense situation. Pawar allegedly scolded her for intervening, questioning her role in what he termed a “civil matter.” Opposition parties and civil society have slammed the move as an attempt to undermine lawful policing. Born in Kerala in 1990, Anjana secured 355th rank in the UPSC CSE 2022–23 and comes from a modest background. Her rise and recent stand have made her a symbol of integrity, particularly among youth. Former IB Special Director Yashovardhan Jha Azad condemned Pawar’s conduct as a “disgusting display of power,” praising Anjana’s firmness while warning of likely vindictive transfers. Veteran activist Prashant Bhushan and retired officer Maj. Digvijay Singh Rawat (Kirti Chakra) also rallied behind her, drawing parallels with other honest officers like Tukaram Mundhe, who faced repeated political backlash. While the Maha Vikas Aghadi opposition has targeted the ruling Maha Yuti government, the IPS Association’s silence has come under scrutiny. Activist Vijay Kumbhar noted attempts to paint Pawar as innocent despite video evidence of a tense situation. The episode has reignited debate on the balance of power between politicians and civil servants in Maharashtra. Observers warn that if young officers like Anjana Krishna are left unprotected, it could deter bureaucrats from acting fearlessly in public interest.

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Sunday said the recent controversy at the Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar could have been avoided if the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board had not installed a plaque bearing the Ashoka emblem at the revered site dedicated to Prophet Muhammad (SAW). “There was no need to install the plaque. They put it up and people did not like it,” Abdullah told reporters in Anantnag, where he attended a condolence meeting. Calling the move a “mistake that should not have occurred,” the former chief minister emphasised that Hazratbal and other shrines were constructed through public contributions, not as favours from any authority. “When Sher-e-Kashmir (Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah) oversaw the construction, he did not put any board on the shrine because it was dedicated to Allah and His Prophet (SAW),” he noted. Reacting to the FIR registered over the vandalisation of the emblem, Abdullah said, “They need to understand that what they did was wrong, and the people will not tolerate such actions. We are a peace-loving community, and they should know that they made a mistake.”

After delivering on a sweeping overhaul of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), the Union finance ministry will now turn its focus to accelerating disinvestment in public-sector enterprises, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said. “I need to press the pedal on disinvestment. And I will be working on it. There is no new agenda but the existing agenda that, because of various reasons, went in slow motion. I’ll have to see what the best way is to revive and bring them on track,” Sitharaman told Business Standard. She also underlined plans to enhance operational efficiency and monetise underutilised assets held by state-owned companies. At the same time, Sitharaman expressed confidence that higher consumption will generate enough revenue to cover the estimated ₹48,000 crore shortfall in GST collections following the rate cuts announced last week. She stressed that public finances would remain unaffected, with the reform expected to boost economic growth. “The consumption spurt from September 22 will increase income buoyancy. To a large extent, this ₹48,000 crore we will be able to make up this year itself. So I don’t see an impact on my fiscal deficit or my fiscal management. I will stick to my numbers of 4.4% of GDP,” she said in an interview to PTI. The government has targeted a fiscal deficit of 4.4% of GDP, or ₹15.69 lakh crore, for FY26. GST Overhaul from September 22 The GST Council, chaired by Sitharaman, recently approved a simplified two-tier tax structure of 5% and 18%, with a special 40% slab. Nearly 400 items—from soaps, shampoos and groceries to cars, tractors and air conditioners—will become cheaper when the revised rates take effect on September 22, coinciding with the start of Navaratri. Premiums on individual health and life insurance policies will also be exempt. Most food and grocery products will be taxed at 5%, while essentials such as bread, milk and paneer will remain tax-free. Electric vehicles and small cars will fall under the 5% bracket, while white goods will face 18%, both lower than current levels. Calling the move a “people’s reform,” Sitharaman said, “This is a reform which touches the lives of all 140 crore people. The poorest of the poor also have something small that they buy, touched by GST.” Strong Growth Outlook On the growth front, Sitharaman hinted at the possibility of India surpassing the 6.3–6.8% growth forecast for FY26. The economy expanded by 7.8% in the April–June quarter, driven by robust farm output and strong momentum in services such as trade, hotels, finance and real estate. India continues to be the world’s fastest-growing major economy, outpacing China’s 5.2% growth during the same quarter. The country’s last peak was 8.4% growth in January–March 2024.

A major controversy has erupted in Jammu and Kashmir after the national emblem on a plaque inside Srinagar’s revered Hazratbal shrine was vandalized on Friday. On Saturday, Ladakh lieutenant governor Kavinder Gupta condemned the act, calling it “vandalism” and promising strict action against those responsible. In a social media post, Gupta said he was “deeply anguished” by the incident. However, former J&K CM Omar Abdullah took a different line, questioning why the emblem had been placed inside the shrine in the first place. “The plaque should not have been placed inside the shrine. The national emblem is used for government functions, not religious places,” Omar remarked. Notably, J&K lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha, who oversees law and order in the union territory, has so far remained silent on the issue. The row quickly took a political turn. The National Conference (NC) demanded the removal of Waqf Board chairperson Darakhshan Andrabi, who was appointed in 2022 by the Union minority affairs ministry. At a press conference, NC legislators accused Andrabi of “planting the crisis in Kashmir” to benefit the BJP electorally in Bihar. NC’s Tanvir Sadiq said that police had registered an open FIR and expressed hope that it would include Andrabi for “violating the Constitution” by placing the emblem in the shrine. NC leader Salman Sagar added that the BJP deliberately installed a party politician as waqf chairperson to “control our religious places.” The BJP, on its part, strongly backed Andrabi. J&K BJP spokesperson Altaf Thakur compared those who defaced the emblem to Osama bin Laden, warning, “No one should dare to deface our Ashoka Chakra.” With an FIR registered, political tensions remain high, even as calls grow for accountability over both the vandalism and the decision to install the emblem at Hazratbal in the first place.