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India.com
28 minutes ago
- India.com
Unprecedented: Arab World To Hamas – Drop Your Arms And Step Aside In Gaza; Full Story
New York: Arab and Muslim countries such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt have joined hands to call for Hamas to lay down its weapons and step away from governing Gaza. Once unimaginable from states that historically maintained varying degrees of neutrality or silent support, the demand came in a signed declaration unveiled during a summit at the United Nations in New York on Tuesday. Hosted by Saudi Arabia and France, the conference drew international backing. All 22 members of the Arab League signed on, so did the entire European Union. Another 17 nations added their names. The message was unified. A Firm Shift in Regional Tone 'Governance, law enforcement and security across all Palestinian territory must lie solely with the Palestinian Authority, with appropriate international support,' the declaration stated. The signatories emphasised that Gaza's future depends on Hamas stepping aside. The document went on to read, 'In the context of ending the war in Gaza, Hamas must end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, with international engagement and support, in line with the objective of a sovereign and independent Palestinian State.' It marked a change in tone for several regional powers. Qatar and Egypt, key ceasefire brokers and long-time interlocutors between Hamas and Israel, stood behind the language. The move also aligns with an earlier initiative. Back in March, Egypt floated a post-war roadmap for Gaza that left no room for Hamas governance. That plan proposed an interim Palestinian committee to manage the enclave, eventually handing it over to the Palestinian Authority. Condemnation of October 7 Attacks The document did not just focus on the political transition. It also condemned Hamas' deadly assault on Israel on October 7, 2023. The coordinated attack drew outrage from the international community and triggered the ongoing war. In response to the violence, the declaration proposed the deployment of 'a temporary international stabilisation mission'. This mission, the document said, would operate under the United Nations and enter Gaza at the Palestinian Authority's request. 'We welcomed the readiness expressed by some Member States to contribute in troops,' it said. France Calls It Unprecedented French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot described the collective stance as 'unprecedented'. Addressing the United Nations on Tuesday, he stated, 'On the part of Saudi Arabia and the Arab and Muslim countries who for the first time will condemn terrorism, the acts of terror on the 7th of October, a call for the disarmament of Hamas and expressed their hope to have a normalised relationship with Israel in due time.' The moment was significant. France and Saudi Arabia led the effort. Countries not always aligned politically or diplomatically signed the same page. Israel, UK and US React to Shifting Landscape In a move that unsettled Israeli leaders, France also confirmed it will vote to recognise a Palestinian state this September. The United Kingdom echoed a similar position, followed by Canada. Unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire in Gaza, London said it too would recognise Palestinian statehood in the fall. Israel rejected both announcements and so did the United States. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's stance remained unchanged. His government rejected the two-state solution outright. The Israeli leader continued to argue that such a path threatens Israel's security. Hostage Families Welcome Arab League's Stand The joint declaration from Arab states brought a sense of overdue clarity for many. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a group representing Israeli families with loved ones held in Gaza, issued a statement in support. 'We welcome this important progress and the Arab League's recognition that Hamas must end its rule in Gaza. Kidnapping innocent men, women and children is a blatant violation of international law and must be unequivocally condemned,' it read. Hamas Silent, But Signals Mixed in Past Hamas has yet to publicly respond to the declaration. The militant group has previously issued conflicting messages about its future in Gaza after the war. There has been no sign from its leadership that it is willing to disband or surrender control. Still, the latest developments point to a shift, not just from Western allies but from Arab capitals too. For the first time, they have stepped forward to say what was once left unsaid that Hamas must go.
Hindustan Times
28 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
In 2027 handshake with Samajwadi Party, Congress eyes bigger slice of seat-sharing pie
As the successful Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance of the 2024 Lok Sabha election looks certain to continue in the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, the focus has shifted to possible seat-sharing formulas between the two INDIA bloc partners. Both Rahul Gandhi and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav have asserted the alliance will continue. (FILE PHOTO) Looking to drive a hard bargain, the Congress is aiming to secure more seats than in the previous arrangements, where it accepted fewer seats from the Samajwadi Party (SP), the dominant regional player. The SP-Congress alliance had relegated the BJP to the number two position in the 2024 Lok Sabha election in Uttar Pradesh. The BJP's tally of seats was reduced from 62 out of 80 in 2019 to 33 in 2024. The SP won 37 seats and the Congress bagged six out of the 17 seats it contested. Amid the evolving dynamics between the SP and the Congress, multiple formulas are being weighed by the Congress. These include the one-district-one-seat (ODOS) formula, one seat in each parliamentary constituency or all assembly segments of the Lok Sabha seat (won by Congress in 2024). As it is highly improbable that the SP will leave 100 or more seats for the Congress, the grand old party may have to be content with contesting 70 seats. While strategising, there are likely to be differences between the two allies on sharing the urban assembly seats that the SP has never won. Of the 403 assembly seats, over 80 have only urban voters in Uttar Pradesh. Sample this. The Noida seat has been with the BJP since it came into existence in 2012. Pankaj Singh was elected MLA from this seat for the second time in 2022. He polled 244,319 votes. The combined votes of the SP and Congress candidates was 76,300. The difference in votes between the BJP candidate and the SP and Congress nominees was 168,019. Similarly, the BJP won the Mathura seat by 60% votes. The SP has never won this seat. The Congress candidate secured 18.61% votes. Ghaziabad is yet another urban seat that the SP would be willing to offer to the Congress. The SP won the seat in 2004. But in 2022, the BJP polled 61.37% votes to win the seat. The SP secured 18.25% votes and the Congress 4.83% votes. The SP has never won the Lucknow East seat that has been with the BJP for two decades. The Congress won this seat five times between 1951 and 1989. There are 4.47 lakh voters in the constituency, including 1.75 lakh Kshatriya, Brahmin and Kayastha voters. Among other urban seats, the SP is likely to offer Lucknow Cantt to Congress but would want to contest the Malihabad (won thrice by SP), Mohanlalganj (won twice by SP), and BKT (won in 2012) for itself, which the Congress is set to oppose. The BKT seat is a good example of why both the SP and Congress would want it. The BJP polled 46.36% votes in 2022 while SP secured 37.65% and Congress 2.84%. The victory margin was 27,788. The alliance votes can overcome this deficit. In Kanpur, the Congress lost the Kidwainagar seat by 37,000 votes to the BJP. The SP polled a little over 8,000 votes. Hence, neither the SP nor the Congress would like to go for it. The BJP had won Kanpur's Govindnagar assembly seat in 2022, polling 117,501 votes. The SP and Congress combined tally of votes was just over 62,000. The SP has never won the Govindnagar assembly seat. The other seats that remained unwinnable for the SP, which it would like to offer to the Congress include Rampur Khas (Congress stronghold), Kunda, Babaganj (since 2012), Manjhanpur (since 2012), Gorakhpur Urban, Varanasi Cantt, Jhansi Nagar, Meerut Cantt, Agra South (since 2012), Hathras, Bareilly, Debai (Bulandshahr) and Anupshahr. Party leaders are confident of a formula. Samajwadi Party spokesperson Udaivir Singh said, 'Both Rahul Gandhi and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav have asserted the alliance will continue. The Congress might demand more seats than we (SP) may plan to offer (to the Congress). The number can still be decided somewhere between the demand (by Congress) and offer (by SP).' 'More than seat-sharing, it will be about how each seat can be won. Who will be the candidate, what is the organisational strength on the ground (seat) are the aspects which will primarily decide the seat-sharing,' Samajwadi Party spokesperson Ameeque Jamei said. The Bihar elections will also have an impact on the Congress's demand for seats in the 2027 UP elections. The Congress is preparing for robust negotiations following the better-than-expected performance of the INDIA bloc in Uttar Pradesh during the 2024 general elections. Party leaders have been floating various formulas. According to one formula, the party is keen to contest at least one assembly seat in every district, or in each Lok Sabha constituency, ensuring greater organisational presence and impact across the state. Under another formula, the Congress wants to contest all (assembly) segments under the 17 parliamentary seats they contested in 2024. Going by this formula, the party would want to contest 85 assembly seats – an average of five seats each in 17 parliamentary constituencies. This is in addition to 10 stronghold seats that it wants to contest. The strategy will mark a departure from previous arrangements where the Congress often had to accept fewer seats against dominant regional players. Now, the party is pushing its growing aspirations to maximize its electoral footprint in the politically crucial state. The move reflects a strategic recalibration, asserting Congress's demand for a more proportional and impactful role within the alliance. Congress's incharge for Uttar Pradesh Avinash Pande said, 'Focusing on strengthening the organisaton in all 403 assembly constituencies, the Congress in Uttar Pradesh is not the party it was. Seat-sharing for 2027 will be decided on our organisational strength and we are not hurrying for it.' The SP and the Congress had contested UP assembly polls in 2017 and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls together. Under the seat-sharing arrangement, the Congress was given 105 of 403 UP assembly seats in 2017 and 17 of 80 UP Lok Sabha seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. 'Had Congress gone alone in Lok Sabha, no doubt, we would have been winning seats in double figures. Statistically, in at least 10 seats (that) the SP won and the Congress played a major role. This shows the Congress's growing mass base,' Pande said. The SP, which was founded in 1992, won 109 seats in the 1993 UP assembly polls, 110 in 1996, 143 in 2002 and 97 in 2007. It formed a majority government after winning 224 seats in 2012. But in 2017, the SP's tally dropped to 47 seats. The party bounced back in 2022, winning 111 seats . The Congress won 28 seats in 1993, and 33 in 1996. In 2002, the Congress bagged 25 seats. It won 22 seats in 2007 and 28 in 2012. The Congress won seven of the 105 seats it contested in 2017 in alliance with the SP. The Congress's tally dropped to an all-time low of two seats in 2022 when it won only the Rampur Khas and Pharenda seats in UP as it contested 399 seats on its own. The Congress polled 2.3% vote share in 2022. Barring the two seats, its candidates lost their deposit in all the other seats. Samajwadi Party leaders are also going through the 2022 poll data . 'We won 111 seats, but lost 40-45 seats with less than 5,000 (votes) margin and 30 others with less than 7,000 margin. Can these seats be won in 2027? If so, why should not a SP candidate contest there,' a senior party leader said. Political experts feel the SP-Congress alliance is a must for both. 'For both, the alliance is a win-win situation. I suppose the SP will keep no less than 300 seats for itself and offer less than 100 to the Congress, that too where it (SP) might be weak (purely urban seats) or those it never won,' said Pradip Sharma, associate professor at Shia PG College, Lucknow. 'In the alliance, the Congress has the opportunity to be part of the government and strengthen the party base in Uttar Pradesh. This can happen even if it wins 30 of the total seats it contests with the SP. For the SP, the game is about regaining power by doubling its 2022 tally,' Sharma explained.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Jagdeep Dhankhar asked MHA for new bulletproof vehicles last Feb; put on hold, he went with regular Innova
In February last year, the Vice-President's Secretariat sought new bulletproof vehicles for then V-P Jagdeep Dhankhar, citing the age of his three high-security BMW cars. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) conveyed in June that a panel would be formed to look into it, but by November, his office decided to opt for a non-bulletproof Innova, in which he has been travelling ever since, The Indian Express has learnt. Dhankhar announced on July 22 that he was stepping down from his post as Vice-President, citing health reasons. According to sources, on February 28 last year, a letter was sent from the V-P's Secretariat to the Additional Secretary (Police Modernisation Division), MHA, regarding the condition of his official vehicles. In his communication, the then deputy secretary in the V-P's Secretariat wrote, 'I have been directed to inform you that three bulletproof BMW High Security vehicles have been provided to the Hon'ble Vice President of India for using the same during his day-to-day movement. Out of the three vehicles, two vehicles have become more than six years old, while the third one is almost four years and five months old, which will also become more than five years old in the next couple of months.' 'It has been further directed to get all three vehicles replaced with bulletproof high-security new vehicles. It is requested to get the process of replacement of three vehicles initiated at the earliest,' it states. According to sources, before this, a similar letter had been sent to the security division of Delhi Police, which clarified that procurement of vehicles is handled by the MHA. In response to the February 28 letter, an under-secretary in the MHA wrote to the V-P's Secretariat on June 12, 2024, that they were forming a board of officers to inspect the three vehicles in question. For this, they had nominated six officers, including two from the NSG, and one from the CRPF, who have expertise in technical issues involved in bulletproof vehicles, the under-secretary wrote. The Vice-President gets Z-plus security cover provided by Delhi Police. On November 28, an internal communication issued by Delhi Police stated the V-P's Secretariat had changed Dhankhar's bulletproof vehicles since their 'life term of five years' was over. The new vehicle was an Innova, while the spare vehicle was a Fortuner, and neither was bulletproof, it noted. It is learnt that the V-P's OSD and Secretary were told these vehicles are not bulletproof and if required, such vehicles could be sought from Delhi Police, but this was turned down. Queries sent to the Vice-President's Secretariat, an MHA spokesperson, the Special Commissioner of Police (security division) Jaspal Singh and Delhi Police spokesperson for a comment did not elicit a response. Mahender Singh Manral is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. He is known for his impactful and breaking stories. He covers the Ministry of Home Affairs, Investigative Agencies, National Investigative Agency, Central Bureau of Investigation, Law Enforcement Agencies, Paramilitary Forces, and internal security. Prior to this, Manral had extensively reported on city-based crime stories along with that he also covered the anti-corruption branch of the Delhi government for a decade. He is known for his knack for News and a detailed understanding of stories. He also worked with Mail Today as a senior correspondent for eleven months. He has also worked with The Pioneer for two years where he was exclusively covering crime beat. During his initial days of the career he also worked with The Statesman newspaper in the national capital, where he was entrusted with beats like crime, education, and the Delhi Jal Board. A graduate in Mass Communication, Manral is always in search of stories that impact lives. ... Read More
