Preamble sacrosanct, says V-P Dhankhar
"It is nothing but belittling the civilisational wealth and knowledge of this country for thousands of years. It is a sacrilege of the spirit of Sanatan," the vice president said at a book launch event here.
Dhankhar described preamble as a "seed" on which a constitution grows. He also underlined that the preamble of no other constitution has undergone change except that of India. "The Preamble of a constitution is not changeable. But this Preamble was changed by the 42nd Constitution (Amendment) Act of 1976," he said noting that the words "socialist", "secular", and "integrity" were added.
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Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Congress slams govt for ‘institutional sabotage' over Justice Yashwant Varma impeachment
New Delhi: The Congress on Saturday accused the government of " institutional sabotage " for refusing to admit the Opposition-backed impeachment motion against Justice Yashwant Varma in the Rajya Sabha , while proceeding with a similar motion in the Lok Sabha signed by both ruling and Opposition MPs. Senior Congress leader and lawyer Abhishek Singhvi said the Centre had ignored former RS Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar's move to make the Opposition motion "property of the House" before his resignation. He warned that the government's conduct could give Justice Varma procedural grounds to challenge the impeachment. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Operations Management Product Management healthcare PGDM Finance Public Policy Leadership Healthcare others Data Science CXO Technology Degree Digital Marketing Management MBA Data Analytics Data Science MCA Project Management Cybersecurity Design Thinking Artificial Intelligence Others Skills you'll gain: Quality Management & Lean Six Sigma Analytical Tools Supply Chain Management & Strategies Service Operations Management Duration: 10 Months IIM Lucknow IIML Executive Programme in Strategic Operations Management & Supply Chain Analytics Starts on Jan 27, 2024 Get Details Rejecting Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju 's claim that the RS motion was never admitted, Singhvi asked: "Didn't Chairman Dhankhar, by his words, make the issue property of the House? If not, why did he consult the law minister on introducing similar motions in both Houses?" by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Want to know more? click here Undo Singhvi said instead of appreciating bipartisan cooperation on Justice Varma's impeachment, the ruling party was treating it as "a race to show who did it first," displaying "ego and invincibility notions." He also linked the episode to Dhankhar's abrupt resignation, questioning if he was forced out and if MPs were pressured to sign additional papers. Singhvi added that the Congress had first raised corruption allegations in the Varma case, while the BJP was silent. Live Events Singhvi further alleged double standards, pointing to the government's inaction on a pending impeachment notice against Justice Shekhar Yadav over hate speech. He said the AICC legal department would hold a conference on August 2 on challenges to the Constitution.
The Print
2 hours ago
- The Print
Maharashtra's cattle trade comes to near standstill as traders allege ‘free rein' to gau rakshaks
But it has been getting worse with each passing year, especially during Bakra-Eid, they say. Shaikh comes from the Qureshi community. An estimated 2 lakh members of the community, who are part of the cattle trade in Maharashtra, have been on a strike since the start of July to protest harassment by cow vigilantes. The harassment, which can easily spiral into physical assault, has become a part and parcel of their profession over the past decade, since the passage of Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act, 2015. Mumbai: Hamid Shaikh is a licensed cattle trader and was on his way to sell a buffalo and three bulls. It would fetch him Rs 1.5 lakh, he hoped. But the 55-year-old returned home with bruises all over his body, no livestock and no money. 'Cow vigilantes stopped our truck and said we were taking these animals for slaughter which was not the case,' Shaikh told ThePrint about the incident from about three weeks ago. For instance, in Hamid Shaikh's case, he said he 'bought them (livestock) from Pachod (near Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar) market a few days ago and was taking them to Ch. Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) market for selling them'. 'I have all proper documentation for animals. Despite that, they took away my animals. They slapped me twice. I told them to not hit me since I had a bypass (surgery), but they still hit me. I was scared,' he added. Imran Babu Qureshi, national vice-president of All India Jamaitul Qureshi, told ThePrint that members of the community decided to go on strike 'because there is no response' from either the state government or police. 'There is an increase in incidents of cow vigilantes hitting our drivers, traders. That is the reason we have called this bandh.' In March 2015, the BJP-Shiv Sena government led by Devendra Fadnavis banned sale, possession and consumption of beef by amending the Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act, 1976, which allowed slaughter of old bulls and bullocks with permission from civic authorities. The amendment brought about a complete ban on slaughter of cows and their progeny, bulls and bullocks. It allowed slaughter of buffaloes subject to certain conditions. On 15 July this year, the All India Jamiatul Quresh (AIJQ), a union of cattle traders, met Maharashtra Minister of State (MoS) for Home Yogesh Kadam as well as Director-General of Police (DGP) Rashmi Shukla with a letter, seeking protection from gau rakshaks. They sent another letter on 24 July, demanding the police issue directions/orders as assured to them to make sure cattle traders are not harassed by cow vigilantes. 'We would also like to state that due to pressure of such unauthorized persons/vigilantes, the concerned police officers in various villages, tehsils and districts in the state are pressured to proceed to seize such transport vehicles and animals which otherwise are permitted to be transported. This creates further harassment and troubles on the transporter and the trader,' the Maharashtra AIJQ president wrote in this letter. Members of the Qureshi community are now planning to meet again next week to decide on a plan of action. When contacted, Yogesh Kadam confirmed to ThePrint that he met AIJQ representatives and told ThePrint that there are always two sides to a story. The minister said he had already assured action against those harassing cattle traders. 'During our meeting, I told them to follow all the rules required to conduct their business as many times the transporters do not have requisite documents. At the same time, I have assured action against those who were harassing them and also asked to share their details. I have not received any information from them yet,' Kadam told ThePrint. On 14 July, MoS Home (Rural) Prakash Bhoyar told the Legislative Council that the state government was thinking of bringing in a new law against beef smuggling and also planning to withdraw cases against gau rakshaks by way of a new law to protect cow progeny. Also Read: Fodder for thought: Modi govt's cow welfare agency has been headless for 4 yrs, Rs 500 cr lying idle 'Will die of hunger' In Maharashtra, the slaughter of bovine is prohibited, and a certificate from a veterinary is required to slaughter buffaloes. This certificate needs to specifically mention that the buffalo is 'unfit' for milking and is not pregnant. Most of the 292 livestock markets in Maharashtra are now closed, barring some in Pune and Mumbai. These attract those who want to sell or buy animals for slaughter, and also farmers and traders who want to buy or sell animals either for farming or dairy businesses. The state government last year gave 'Rajyamata' status to cows and also approved the animal husbandry department's proposal to provide Rs 50 daily subsidy per animal to cow shelter operators. Members of the Qureshi community ThePrint spoke to say approximately 300-500 animals are traded at every market, each costing anywhere between Rs 10,000 to over a lakh, depending on the size, age and the fitness of the animal. They add that harassment of cattle traders at the hands of cow vigilantes has been steadily rising since the passage of the 2015 legislation. 'There is a lot of hooliganism in the name of gau raksha in the state. The police are not cooperating with us. We are all very scared. Markets used to be full of animals but everything is closed now. We are suffering huge economic losses as well,' said Aziz Qureshi, Nanded district coordinator, AIJQ. 'About 50,000 people from our community are in this trade in the entire district. They are saying we will die of hunger but think twice before going back into the trade,' he added. Community members said the bandh started about a month ago with the Nagpur market and slowly spread across the state. They also alleged that while police do not register their complaints, FIRs are filed against members of the Qureshi community instead. Asked to comment on these allegations, minister Kadam said, 'I told them to tell me which particular area they are facing issues with. Won't be happening all over Maharashtra. So they need to give me a particular area or organisation troubling them. I will make sure that I tell the police to act accordingly. But except for the letter, I haven't received any official complaint. If need be, we will talk to them again.' The Qureshi community is demanding strict action against vigilantes/extortionists and proper implementation of the provisions of sections 6 and 8 of the Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act, 1976, and the Transport of Animal Rules, 1978. Another allegation is that the animals gau rakshaks confiscate are taken to 'gaushalas' (cow shelters) operated by the government. Cattle trader Moinuddin Qureshi alleged his truck containing seven buffaloes was taken away by gau rakshaks on 6 June and an FIR was registered against him and the truck driver. ThePrint has seen a copy of the FIR. The animals were later sent to a gaushala while the police investigated the matter and found nothing suspicious, he said. According to Moinuddin, the police then wrote to the gaushala saying that 'during the investigation, we found that Qureshi has all the documentation including fitness certificate for the buffaloes' and that the complaint was made out of a 'misunderstanding'. ThePrint has seen a copy of the letter. However, Moinuddin is yet to get his livestock back. 'In fact, now the gaushala has gone to local court against us and refusing to give us our animals … Everything is legal, we have the documents but only because of our religion, we are being harassed.' Other cattle traders too said once the animals are sent to the local gaushala, it is very difficult to recover them. 'Behind every animal, the government gives a certain amount for nourishment of these animals at the gaushalas. But when our farmers and traders are trying to get back the animals from gaushalas, they are not there. So where did our animals go? Where are they taking them?' asked AIJQ acting president Javed Qureshi. Shaikh agreed. He was told his animals were taken to Badnapur gaushala. 'But even two days back when I went there, I did not see my animals there. Don't know where they are. I might never get them back now.' (Edited by Ajeet Tiwari) Also Read: BJP's 'cow protection brigade' gets official stamp in new animal husbandry ministry
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Assembly, LS polls may be held after delimitation exercise: Ex-MP
Hyderabad: Former MP and BRS leader B Vinod Kumar has predicted that the Telangana assembly elections in 2028 and the Lok Sabha elections in 2029 will be held with enhanced seats after the delimitation of assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He also said that women's reservation will be implemented in the next elections. Addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan on Saturday, Vinod Kumar dismissed rumours that there would not be a delimitation of seats in Telangana in the wake of the Supreme Court's dismissal of a petition seeking the delimitation exercise in the state on the lines of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday. As per the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, the Telangana assembly seats should be increased to 153 from the present 119, while AP seats to 225 from the current 175 seats. "As per Article 170 sub-clause 3 of the Constitution, the delimitation exercise should be taken up in 2026. The SC dismissed the petition filed by one Purushottam Reddy a couple of days ago. But SC delivered the judgment as per Section 26 of the AP Reorganisation Act, subject to the provisions of Article 170," the ex-MP said. In the AP Reorganisation Act, instead of 'subject to' it should have been 'notwithstanding' to take up the delimitation of seats in both Telangana and AP 10 years ago. This issue was brought to the notice of the then UPA govt and also the Modi govt, but it was not taken up by both the govts, Vinod Kumar said. On women's reservations in legislative assemblies and Parliament, the BRS leader said the Women's Reservation Bill was passed in both Houses and would come into effect only after the completion of the Census.
