Central, State governments aligning with corporate interests, sidelining workers: Ramesh Chennithala
Speaking at the inauguration of the INTUC Thrissur district leadership conference held at the Regional Theatre here on Sunday Mr. Chennithala criticised both governments for trampling labour laws and neglecting the rights of the working class.
He particularly condemned the Pinarayi-led State government for reducing the number of workdays and failing to ensure minimum wages for labourers. Mr. Chennithala emphasised that a strong response would be mobilised by rallying public support against such anti-worker measures.
The meeting was presided over by INTUC district president Sundaran Kunnathulli. INTUC State president R. Chandrasekharan delivered the keynote address.
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NDTV
14 minutes ago
- NDTV
Hemant Khandelwal To Ravindra Chavan: A Look At 9 New BJP State Chiefs
New Delhi: The BJP on Wednesday announced Hemant Kumar Khandelwal as its new chief of the Madhya Pradesh unit, moving closer to picking the replacement of the party's national president, JP Nadda. The ruling party has recently announced nine new state heads and has so far conducted elections for 28 states and union territories - nine more than the required number of 19 for the election of the national president - since its internal polls started last year. The BJP sources, however, said the election of the national president will be conducted only after the successful completion of elections of key states like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Delhi and Haryana, among others. Here's a look at new BJP state chiefs: Hemant Khandelwal - Madhya Pradesh Hemant Khandelwal is currently an MLA from Betul. He has also been an MP from Betul, which was won by his father, late Vijay Khandelwal, four times (1996-2008). Khandelwal, a two-time MLA, has strong roots in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and is considered to be close to Chief Minister Mohan Yadav. Two-time MLA from Betul, currently serving his second term after regaining the seat in 2023. The 60-year-old has also served as the BJP's district president of Betul and state party treasurer. He has also headed the Kushabhau Thakre Trust, a key ideological and training wing of the party. By appointing Mr Khandelwal, the BJP has signalled its outreach to the strong Vaishya community in Madhya Pradesh and has balanced delicate caste balance with an Other Backward Class (OBC) chief minister and an upper caste state president. Ravindra Chavan - Maharashtra Ravindra Chavan is a four-term MLA from Dombivali and has replaced Chandrashekhar Bawankule. Mr Chavan has held several key portfolios, including Public Works, Food and Civil Supplies, and Consumer Protection, in the Maharashtra government. He also served as Guardian Minister for Palghar and Sindhudurg districts. Mr Chavan, who was appointed Working President of the BJP Maharashtra unit in January, is also seen as a close aide of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and has strong backing from the RSS. The 54-year-old also played a crucial role in the formation of the BJP-led coalition government in Maharashtra. His appointment as the state BJP chief is seen as a strategic move ahead of key local body elections in Mumbai. Mahendra Bhatt - Uttarakhand Rajya Sabha MP Mahendra Bhatt has been reelected as the Uttarakhand BJP president. The 53-year-old, who first took over as Uttarakhand BJP chief in 2022, is the only party chief in the state to get a successive term in 25 years. Mr Bhatt, a two-time MLA, began his political career with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad in the early 1990s. He became the BJP Yuva Morcha's state president in 2000 and served till 2002. He won his first assembly election in 2002 from Nandprayag and represented the constituency till 2007. In 2017, he won the Badrinath assembly seat. With his re-election, the BJP has balanced caste equations in the state, with Pushkar Singh Dhami, a Thakur, as chief minister, and Mr Bhatt, a Brahmin, as state president. Rajeev Bindal - Himachal Pradesh Rajeev Bindal now has a rare distinction to be re-elected for a third straight term as the president of the BJP's Himachal Pradesh unit. He is a five-time MLA - three terms from Solan and two from Nahan. Mr Bindal, 70, has served as the health minister in the Prem Kumar Dhumal-led BJP government (2007-2012). He also held the post of speaker of the Himachal Pradesh assembly from 2018 to 2020. A doctor by profession, Mr Bindal served in Jharkhand under RSS's Vanvasi Kalyan Parishad. He is a close aide of Mr Nadda and the RSS. 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He has also served as the chief spokesperson and General Secretary of the BJP in undivided Andhra Pradesh. Mr Rao, 66, has been chosen over high-profile contenders like Etala Rajender and Arvind Dharmapuri. He, however, faced a revolt from senior leader Raja Singh, who quit the party to lodge a strong protest against his appointment. Backed by the RSS and senior BJP leaders for his loyalty and non-factional image, he is known for bridging old and new factions within the party. He has also been credited with strengthening the BJP's legal and ideological framework in Telangana. K Beichhua - Mizoram K Beichhua, a three-time MLA from Siaha, will lead the BJP's Mizoram faction. The 59-year-old, who has served as a medical officer for 16 years, was elected to the assembly from Siaha on a Mizo National Front (MNF) ticket for two consecutive terms in 2013 and 2018. He joined the BJP in 2023 after his expulsion from the MNF in January that year and won the seat. He is one of the two BJP MLAs in the current 40-member Mizoram assembly. Mr Beichhua was a minister holding various portfolios, including Excise and Narcotics, in the previous MNF dispensation headed by Zoramthanga. VP Ramalingam - Puducherry VP Ramalingam, brother of former Congress leader VP Sivakolundhu, is the new BJP's Puducherry unit president. The 63-year-old industrialist-turned-politician joined the BJP in 2021. He was then nominated as an MLA following the formation of the AINRC-BJP coalition government. Anil Tiwari - Andaman and Nicobar Anil Tiwari has been appointed as the BJP's new president of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands unit. He joined the BJP in 1990 and has a strong background with the RSS. Mr Tiwari previously served as State Secretary and is credited with strengthening booth-level management across the islands/
The Hindu
15 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Congress slams Modi govt over Pakistan's UNSC presidency, calls it 'diplomatic setback'
The Congress on Wednesday (July 2, 2025) slammed the PM Modi-led government for 'failing to prevent Pakistan' from assuming key positions in the United Nations, calling it a 'major diplomatic setback for India'. Pakistan on Tuesday said that it assumed the Presidency of the UN Security Council for the month of July. The presidency of the Security Council — the world body's power centre — is part of Pakistan's two-year term as a non-permanent member of the UNSC, which began in January 2025. In addition, Pakistan will chair the Taliban Sanctions Committee and serve as vice-chair of the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee. Speaking to reporters here, Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala said, "the terror state of Pakistan has now been made the global security broker. The devil is now in the chair." Pakistan, "a terror state with a proven record of harbouring terrorists, promoting terrorism, and exporting terror to India" was being elevated to global leadership positions, even as India continues to face terror attacks sponsored by it, he said. "This happened just weeks after the Pahalgam terror attack, which was Pakistan-sponsored," Mr. Surjewala alleged, questioning the Modi government's "silence and inaction". He claimed Pakistan's elevation came "despite all the bravado on foreign policy" displayed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, who, he alleged, had failed to rally global support to prevent this outcome. 'Repeated violations' Citing a specific instance, Mr. Surjewala pointed out that Pakistan assumed the vice-chair of the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee on June 4, 2025, despite its repeated violations of international resolutions on terrorism. "What are the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister, and India's Permanent Representative to the UN doing," he asked. He also criticised the government for failing to protest when Pakistan, allegedly backed by China, blocked India's proposal to designate Abdul Rauf, a known anti-India terrorist, as a global terrorist in the same Counter-Terrorism Committee. "The same Pakistan becomes vice-chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee, and the Government of India raises no objection," Mr. Surjewala claimed. He also lamented the 'decline' of India's traditional diplomatic ties. "Our old and trusted allies, relationships built by the Congress across the world, in Asia, and our neighbourhood have been alienated. Today, we are isolated. Even smaller nations like the Maldives, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka no longer stand with us." "Diplomacy requires more than photo-ops and optics," he said.
Time of India
15 minutes ago
- Time of India
Is working for Dalits, farmers 'anti-national' ?: Medha Patkar slams BJP MPs over meeting walkout
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads A day after BJP MPs walked out of a parliamentary panel meeting she was invited to, activist Medha Patkar on Wednesday hit back, asking if standing up for Dalits, Adivasis, farmers and labourers now counts as "anti-national".A meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj to discuss the implementation of the land acquisition act ended abruptly on Tuesday as BJP MPs protested against the panel's decision to hear Patkar , who had led protests against raising the height of the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat under the banner of ' Narmada Bachao Andolan '.The panel, headed by Congress MP Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, had called Patkar to hear her views on the implementation and effectiveness of the land acquisition law enacted by Parliament when the Congress-led UPA government was in power in Union minister and BJP MP Parshottam Rupala was joined by other lawmakers from his party as they walked out of the meeting, with some dubbing Patkar as "anti-national". A BJP MP even said he had no idea that leaders from Pakistan could also be called to such a meeting."What is the charge of being anti-national? We are working with Dalits, Adivasis, farmers, labourers... Is that something anti-national? To protect their rights under the law and the Constitution, and the human rights, which are above the constitutional rights," Patkar told PTI."And even if whatever we are saying is wrong, they can oppose it. But that doesn't mean that they can call us anti-national or 'urban naxals'. This democratic process includes the parliamentary standing committee proceedings," she said she has participated in parliamentary panel discussions earlier and has been part of consultations carried out by the government for framing the Land Acquisition Act of 2013."Even when Sumitra Mahajan was in the Chair, we were given a good hearing," she said, referring to the former Lok Sabha Speaker and BJP said they were invited to appear before the panel, made their submissions, and all due process was said she was informed that a communication was sent by the secretary general of the Lok Sabha to the chairperson -- Congress MP Ulaka -- to cancel the meeting due to a lack of quorum. The activist said she was told by officials that 17 MPs had come for the meeting, and questioned how there was a lack of quorum."The written letter that the secretary general gave to the chairman to cancel the meeting gave only one reason that there is no quorum. The fact that I was invited to appear was not mentioned as the reason," she prime minister H D Devegowda's Janata Dal (Secular), which is a part of the BJP-led NDA, also participated in the meeting but not in the walkout, Patkar said."Mr. Devegowda, he did not walk out. He was just sitting quietly near the chairman," she about the Narmada Bachao Andolan, Patkar said they only demanded what was awarded by the Narmada Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal (NWDT) was established in 1969 to resolve the water-sharing disputes among Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan concerning the Narmada River."They are mentioning the position taken by the Narmada Bachao Andolan. Our position has been that the award by the Narmada tribunal should be implemented," she said."Even the World Bank stopped funding this project (Sardar Sarovar Dam), saying that it was an ill-planned project. The statistics on which the decision is based the data is flawed. The World Bank took a position that they had not followed the law," she World Bank had agreed to fund the project to increase the height of the dam in 1985. However, following protests by the NBA led by Patkar, they formed the Morse Commission to look into factors like environmental cost and human the World Bank decided to pull out of the project, the government cancelled the loan sanctioned by the World Bank on 31 March stressed that the rehabilitation of the families that were to be dislocated was important."There were thousands of families living in this area. How could they be denied fair and full rehabilitation? That was the question. Now, about 50,000 families have received rehabilitation. Whatever is remaining, a few thousand in Madhya Pradesh, hundreds in Maharashtra, hundreds in Gujarat, the dialogue is still going on," she said."We want the government to take immediate action and decision, but they are not doing it on war footing," she added.
