Author: Vividh Bharathi

Mumbai, Dec 11 (IANS) The question of leadership in the INDIA bloc has sparked intense debate after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee recently expressed dissatisfaction with the alliance’s current leadership and her willingness to take charge.

Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Anand Dubey on Wednesday stated that while Mamata Banerjee is a capable leader, party chief Uddhav Thackeray would be the most suitable person to lead the Opposition alliance.

“Mamata Banerjee has proven her mettle by halting PM Modi’s political surge in Bengal twice, in 2016 and 2021. She is a formidable leader who challenges PM Modi effectively,” Dubey told IANS.

However, he emphasised that Uddhav Thackeray “possesses all the qualities needed” to unify and lead the alliance.

Dubey praised Thackeray as a leader who is “calm by nature, knowledgeable, articulate, and a flag-bearer of Hindutva,” adding, “He seeks to steer the country toward development and could run the INDIA bloc better than anyone else.”

The INDIA bloc was conceptualised with Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar playing a significant role. However, Nitish Kumar’s dissatisfaction with the alliance reportedly led him to align with the BJP. Since then, Rahul Gandhi has emerged as a prominent face of the Opposition, but repeated defeats in state elections have raised questions about his leadership.

Dubey acknowledged Rahul Gandhi’s contributions, saying, “He is a capable Leader of Opposition, but the burden on him is immense. If someone else also takes on the INDIA bloc leadership, what’s wrong with that? Rahul Gandhi himself should consider sharing responsibilities to strengthen the alliance.”

Using a cricket analogy, Dubey highlighted the importance of teamwork, stating, “In a cricket team, captains change every three years, but the team wins when everyone contributes. Similarly, defeating PM Modi in 2024 requires unity and collective performance.”

While some leaders within the Opposition alliance, including RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and NCP chief Sharad Pawar, have rallied behind Mamata Banerjee as the ideal leader, Dubey expressed concerns about her potential departure from the bloc.

“If Mamata also leaves like Nitish Kumar, it will weaken the fight against Modi. We need a solution through collective dialogue,” he said.

Interestingly, the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), which is not a part of the INDIA bloc, has also voiced support for Mamata.

As speculation grows about leadership, Dubey reiterated that the alliance must act decisively to counter the BJP’s preparation for the 2024 elections and beyond.

“We will have to perform well. Otherwise, we saw the 2024, 2019, and 2014 elections. Should we keep watching like that? Now, the BJP must have started preparing for 2029; it will not be sitting at home,” he added.

Backing Thackeray, he added, “Uddhav Thackeray embodies the qualities of an ideal leader — calmness, focus on development, and the ability to unify diverse factions.”

With the leadership debate intensifying, the INDIA bloc faces a crucial test in balancing ambitions and unity to present a formidable challenge to the BJP in the next general elections.

–IANS

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Chennai, Dec 11 (IANS) The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has issued a public advisory urging residents near the forest in Valparai, Coimbatore district, to avoid venturing out at night due to the increasing threat posed by wild elephants straying into human habitats.

Forest officials are patrolling the area after three elephants, separated from a 17-member herd, raided human settlements in Valparai on Monday, injuring several people.

Four individuals sustained fractures to their hands and legs in the attacks and have been admitted to a government hospital.

This incident follows the death of 18-year-old S. Mukesh a few months ago. Mukesh, a resident of Puthukad near Valparai, was fatally attacked by a wild elephant while travelling on a two-wheeler through an estate road on his way to the Sholayar Dam.

Despite being rushed to the Valparai General Hospital, he was declared dead on arrival. The death Mukesh came just days after a tribal man, Ravi, was trampled to death by a wild elephant at the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR), near Valparai.

Over the past year, there have been several incidents of wild elephants damaging property, including houses and shops, in the Valparai region.

Forest officials attribute these attacks to habitat degradation caused by invasive plant species, the destruction of swamps, and land-use changes, which have led to increased human-wildlife conflict.

As the annual migration season of elephants approaches its peak in the Valparai plateau, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department, in collaboration with non-governmental organisations and local residents, is working to facilitate the free movement of elephants.

However, officials have warned that elephants that stray from their herds often turn aggressive, posing significant risks to human life and property.

Currently, nearly 100 elephants are moving through plantation areas on the plateau, which include tea, coffee, and cardamom estates, as well as swamps, abandoned fields, eucalyptus patches, and forest fragments within estates.

This number is expected to rise as migration peaks between January and February. Valparai residents and estate workers, accustomed to the annual migration of elephants from Kerala, have learned strategies to minimise negative interactions with the animals.

The migration, which begins in September, sees elephants navigating the mosaic landscape of Valparai’s estates and fragmented forests until it ends in March.

Forest officials note that factors such as rainfall, availability of grass, and human behaviour influence elephant migration patterns.

Manoharan, a Valparai resident, acknowledged the Forest Department’s efforts to raise awareness about reducing conflicts with wild elephants, emphasising the importance of coexistence during the migration period.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 11 (IANS) The Supreme Court is slated to hear on Wednesday a plea filed by senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia seeking relaxation of the bail condition requiring him to report to the Investigating Officer semi-weekly.

As per the causelist published on the website of the apex court, a bench headed by Justice B.R. Gavai will take up Sisodia’s application for hearing on December 11.

Earlier on Monday, the Bench, also comprising Justice K.V. Viswanathan, agreed to list the plea moved by Sisodia after senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi mentioned it.

“Day after tomorrow,” it had told Singhvi, who sought an urgent hearing on Sisodia’s plea seeking relaxation of the bail condition requiring him to report to the Investigating Officer every Monday and Thursday.

In August this year, the Supreme Court granted bail to the senior AAP leader, saying that he cannot be kept behind bars for an unlimited period of time in the hope of a speedy completion of trial in the alleged excise policy case.

Pronouncing the verdict on Sisodia’s bail pleas, a Bench presided over by Justice Gavai had said: “In the present case, in ED as well as CBI matter, 493 witnesses have been named and the case involves thousands of pages of documents and over lakh pages of digitised documents.”

“It is thus clear that there is not even a remotest possibility of the trial being concluded in the near future. In our view, keeping the appellant behind bars for an unlimited period of time in the hope of speedy completion of the trial would deprive him of the Fundamental Right of Liberty given under Article 21 of the Constitution.”

The Bench, also comprising Justice Viswanathan, held that on account of a long period of incarceration running for around 17 months and the trial not having commenced, Sisodia had been deprived of his right to a speedy trial.

Rejecting the contention that Sisodia, if granted bail, may tamper with the evidence, the Supreme Court had said that the prosecution case majorly stems from documentary evidence, which has already been seized by the CBI and the ED.

The SC refused to accept central agencies’ submission that Sisodia should not be allowed to visit the Delhi Chief Minister’s Office or Delhi Secretariat.

“The appellant (Sisodia) shall surrender his passport with the Special Court. The appellant shall report to the Investigating Officer every Monday and Thursday between 10-11 a.m. and the appellant shall not make any attempt either to influence the witnesses or to tamper with the evidence,” it said.

In an earlier judgment delivered on October 30 last year, the top court had denied bail to the former Deputy Chief Minister but said that if the trial proceeds slowly in the next three months, he may apply for bail afresh.

Recently, the Delhi High Court issued notice on Sisodia’s plea against the trial court’s decision to take cognisance of the prosecution complaint filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the alleged liquor policy scam case.

In his petition filed before the Delhi HC, Sisodia contended that the trial court took cognisance of the alleged offences under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) without any prior sanction having been obtained by the ED for prosecution.

The plea added that the trial court should have not taken cognisance of the ED’s prosecution complaint without sanction since he held a public office at the time of the commission of the alleged money laundering offence.

The matter is slated to be heard next on December 20, along with a similar petition filed by AAP supremo and former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal seeking a stay of trial proceedings on the grounds of lack of sanction.

–IANS

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