26 parties to attend 2-day Opposition Unity meet in Bengaluru

News Network
July 16, 2023

Bengaluru, July 16: Top leaders of at least 26 political parties would attend the second Opposition unity meeting being convened by Congress in Karnataka’s Bengaluru on July 17-18. According to sources, 10 new parties have extended their support to the Opposition parties’ efforts to present a united front against BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

One of the highlights would be former Congress president Sonia Gandhi's presence at an Opposition conclave after a long interval, with Opposition managers believing that her presence would have a sobering impact on leaders while discussing contentious issues or when they fail to reach a consensus owing to competing claims and ego clashes.

At the nick of time, Congress also announced its opposition to a contentious ordinance that took away the Delhi government's control over its bureaucrats, a demand which the AAP said was non-negotiable for its presence in the Opposition bloc after the Patna meeting hosted by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on June 23.

The meeting, which was shifted from Shimla to Bengaluru owing to weather conditions, also comes at a time the NCP has faced a split with Ajit Pawar walking out of the party and joining the NDA government in Maharashtra, diminishing his uncle Sharad Pawar's clout in the group.

Exposing the difficulties in finding common ground, some Opposition parties had entered into a war of words in West Bengal over panchayat polls, in Kerala over Uniform Civil Code and other issues and over support to AAP in Delhi and Punjab. But on a positive note, party leaders have ensured the battles in states did not spill over to the national level.

In his letters inviting leaders, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has said that it is important to continue discussions and "build on the momentum" they have created in Patna. "We need to work together to find solutions to the challenges that our country is facing," he wrote to leaders.

On Monday evening, the leaders will have informal discussions on the agenda for the next day's deliberations, including its format and issues for discussions before they head for a dinner hosted by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. 

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who will be arriving in Bengaluru on Monday after a spat with Congress and Left leaders in Bengal, will not attend the dinner as doctors have advised caution in her movements as she has suffered injuries recently. AAP supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's presence is also not confirmed at present.

The actual discussions would be held on Tuesday, which is likely to culminate with a joint press conference and a joint statement. The meeting is likely to discuss campaign and agitation plans, primary deliberations on state-wise electoral alliances or understanding, major issues to be taken up during the Monsoon Session of Parliament and the next venue of the meeting. 

The leaders may also discuss the possibility of holding a joint rally against the Modi government next month, though a section of Congress is not keen on such a programme at this juncture.

However, it is to be seen whether the Opposition will formalise the arrangement with a name, Convenor and a permanent mechanism for organising meetings and events. There was speculation about Nitish or Pawar being chosen as Convenor while Sonia's presence has led to some quarters expecting her to be made chairperson.

“Speculating on the agenda of this meeting is not advisable. But what I can say is that the mission is clear, work unselfishly, work unitedly, present the India we cherish with a vision for 2024 and beyond,” senior Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien said.

The host Congress has added two more parties to the list -- Krishna Patel-led Apna Dal (K) and Tamil Nadu-based Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK) -- of invitees taking the total number of attendees to 26. 

It had earlier added eight more parties -- Muslim League, Kerala Congress (Joseph), Kerala Congress (Mani), MDMK, KDMK, VCK, Forward Bloc and RSP – from the Patna meeting, which saw the attendance of 15 while RLD said its leader could not attend. 

Patna meeting, hosted by JD(U) saw the presence of Congress, DMK, Trinamool Congress, RJD, NCP, AAP, CPI(M), CPI, CPI-ML(L), Samajwadi Party, National Conference, PDP, Shiv Sena (UBT) and JMM. 

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News Network
September 16,2024

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The Israeli regime is recruiting African asylum seekers to kill Palestinians in the Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip in exchange for permanent residency status, according to a report.

The report, ran by the Israeli paper Haaretz on Sunday, revealed that the project is conducted in an organized manner, with the guidance of military establishment legal advisers.  

In Gaza, the death toll passes 41,200 with close to 100,000 more injured in almost a year since the Israeli regime forces launched their genocidal war. However, the continued violence is prompting some Jewish Israelis to leave the occupied Palestinian land.

To make up for the loss, Tel Aviv is offering the incentive of permanent residency status to asylum seekers who agree to join the Israeli regime forces ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Haaretz has learned that some people have expressed objections to the practice, arguing that it exploits people who have fled their countries due to war. However, according to those sources, these voices have been silenced.

“This is a very problematic matter,” one source was quoted as saying by Haaretz.

According to the report, there are currently some 30,000 African asylum seekers living in the occupied territories, most of them young men. Around 3,500 are Sudanese citizens with temporary status granted by the court because the regime has not processed and ruled on their applications.

Unnamed sources who spoke with Haaretz also revealed that while there were some inquiries about granting status to asylum seekers who assisted in the genocidal war in Gaza, none were actually given status.

Haaretz also learned that the Interior Ministry explored the possibility of drafting the children of asylum seekers, who were educated in schools in the occupied territories, into the Israeli military.

In the past, the regime allowed the children of foreign workers to serve in the military in exchange for granting status to their immediate family members.

African refugees, who came to the occupied territories seeking asylum, were previously kept in internment camps and deported without their own consent.

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News Network
September 20,2024

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New Delhi: The Supreme Court today sought a report from the Karnataka High Court over controversial remarks made by Justice Vedavyasachar Srishananda during a recent court hearing.

Justice Srishananda, while addressing a landlord-tenant dispute, referred to a Muslim-majority area in Bengaluru as "Pakistan" and made a misogynistic comment involving a woman lawyer. 

A five-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, along with Justices S Khanna, B R Gavai, S Kant, and H Roy, expressed the need for establishing clear guidelines for constitutional court judges regarding their remarks in court. 

The Supreme Court bench said that when social media plays an active role in monitoring and amplifying courtroom proceedings, there is an urgency to ensure judicial commentary aligns with the decorum expected from courts of law.

"Our attention has been drawn to some comments made by Karnataka High Court judge Justice V Srishananda during the conduct of judicial proceedings. We have asked the AG and SG to assist us. We ask the registrar general of the High Court to submit a report to this court after seeking administrative directions from the Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court. This exercise may be carried out in 2 weeks," the top court directed.

Videos of Justice Srishanananda have gone viral on social media.

In one video, he refers to a Muslim-dominated locality in Bengaluru as "Pakistan" and on another video he was seen making objectionable comments against a woman lawyer. In the second incident, Justice Srishanananda can be heard telling the woman lawyer that she seemed to know a lot about the "opposition party", so much so that she might be able to reveal the colour of their undergarments.

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News Network
September 10,2024

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The Palestinian Hamas resistance movement has strongly denounced an Israeli attack on displaced people sheltering in tents in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Yunis in the south of Gaza Strip as “a brutal act of genocide.”

“The occupying regime’s appalling massacre against displaced people in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Yunis is a brutal act of genocide... This vicious targeting of unarmed civilians — women, children, and the elderly — in an area previously declared safe by the occupation army is proof of the ongoing Nazi policies that the Zionist entity is pursuing in its genocidal war against Palestinians,” the Gaza-based group said in a statement on Tuesday morning.

It added that such mass killings are being deliberately carried out in complete disregard of the international law, humanitarian law, and UN resolutions calling for an end to the aggression, noting the massacres are being perpetrated with the full support of the US administration, which is complicit in Israeli brutalities against Palestinians.

It also dismissed Israeli army’s allegations concerning the presence of resistance fighters in the targeted area as "downright lies meant to justify such ugly crimes."

"The resistance front has repeatedly confirmed the absence of ... its members among civilian communities or the use of residential areas for military purposes,” the statement pointed out.

Hamas also called upon the international community, the United Nations, and all political, humanitarian and judicial institutions to break their silence, assume their responsibility and work to stop the 11-month-long holocaust.

The resistance movement stated that world bodies need to take necessary steps in order to bring Israeli war criminals before the International Criminal Court (ICC) and hold them to account for their horrendous crimes.

According to Palestinian media outlets, at least 40 people were killed and 60 others injured in the Israeli attack on people sheltering in tents in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Yunis.

The strikes involved heavy missiles and left craters up to 9 meters (30 feet) deep in an area where people were living in at least 20 tents.

Ambulance and Civil Defense teams are facing considerable difficulty retrieving the bodies of the victims.

Initial assessments suggest the attack is “one of the most heinous massacres in the ongoing frenzied war”.

Witnesses described chaotic scenes in the area, with fires burning and Israeli reconnaissance planes flying overhead.

Israel launched its atrocious onslaught against the Gaza Strip, targeting hospitals, residences, and houses of worship, since Palestinian resistance movements launched a surprise attack, dubbed Operation al-Aqsa Storm, against the usurping regime on October 7 last year.

At least 41,020 Palestinians have been killed, most of them women and children. Another 94,925 individuals have sustained injuries as well.

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