Godhra School NEET Scam
By Insaf
Gujarat’s Godhra is in the news again. This time it’s NEET paper leak scam, hitting headlines and disrupting Parliament session. While CBI is investigating, raided seven locations in the State and arrested five persons so far, Congress has its angle aimed at BJP. On Saturday, it claimed the BJP has close links with ‘tainted’ Jay Jalaram International school, one of the exam centres in Godhra, which could not have been designated ‘without political patronage.’ At a press conference, its Rajya Sabha member and Gujarat chief Shaktisinh Gohilat alleged Jay Jalaram Trust wasn’t only giving donations to BJP, but its owners had close links. He released photos among others of former Union minister Smriti Irani visiting Godhra to inaugurate one of the trust’s schools, with UP Governor Anandiben Patel and state education minister Chudasma and Jalaram trust chairman Patel handing a cheque to Prime Minister Modi at a public function.
Additionally, saying Godhra DSP had filed an affidavit in Godhra Sessions Court detailing how the school was involved in rigging by taking money from students from different states, he asked, among other questions why then is Union Education Minister Pradhan denying irregularity in the exam? Government must disclose the entire list of exam centres this school got and BJP how much donations it got from its trust, is Congress demand. Pradhan has trashed Congress demand on having a discussion on NEET in Parliament saying “It wants to run away from the discussion. Its only intention is to create chaos, confusion and create obstacles in smooth functioning of the entire institutional mechanism…” The Opposition had a chance to raise this issue during the motion of thanks to President’s address, he said adding the government was ready for any type of discussion. The big question is whether Congress ‘wants to play politics over the matter,’ as he claims, or will it rethink participate in the discussion in both Houses of Parliament on Monday to bolster its claim whether the government has skeletons in its cupboard?
JMM Big Relief
Lady luck is on the side of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren. On Friday, he was released from Birsa Munda Jail following High Court granting him bail in the money laundering case. Importantly, the judge held the consequence of the findings recorded by the court “satisfies the condition as at section 45 of Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 to the effect that there’s reason to believe the petitioner is not guilty of the offence as alleged… The overall conspectus of the case based on broad possibilities doesn’t specifically or indirectly assign the petitioner to be involved in acquisition and possession as well as concealment of 8.86 acres of land…connected to ‘proceeds of crime’.” Thanking the judiciary, Soren said “I was falsely implicated. A conspiracy was hatched against me, and I was forced to spend five months in jail (he was arrested on 31 January). I will finish the task I started, the war I waged.” With Assembly polls due later this year, the timing of the bail has come as a shot in the arm for the JMM, but the big question is whether this ‘politically motivated and fabricated’ case by ED, will help him win the electoral war.
Naga Holds ULB Polls
Three cheers to Nagaland! On Wednesday, the north-eastern state held its first Urban Local Body elections after 2004, ushering in 33% reservation for women, a contentious issue for past two decades with those for or against the quota. Of the 523 contestants, 198 were women and the voter turnout was 83%, with female voters (1,13,521) outnumbering male voters (1,10,115) among the 2,23,636 voters. The polls were held for three municipal and 22 town councils instead of 36, with candidates of 14 town councils from Eastern Nagaland (six of 16 districts) withdrew their nominations following a collective decision to refrain from any state or central polls till their demand for a Frontier Nagaland Territory is met. The districts had not participated in the Lok Sabha polls too. Thus, 64 candidates won uncontested with NDPP bagging 45 seats followed by BJP (7), NCP (5) and Congress (3). Despite apprehensions of poll violence, these passed off peacefully with state election machinery deploying 108 companies of security personnel. More importantly, the elections usher in a new era of ‘women empowerment’ and its success it’s hoped will influence other states in the region to follow.
WB Gov-CM Row Hots Up
The political stand-off between West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee gets worse. On Friday last, Bose filed a defamation case in Calcutta High Court against Didi as well as TMC leaders for their comments. This a day after Mamata said that women complained to her saying they were afraid to visit Raj Bhavan because of activities reported there! Bose has expressed disapproval of her remarks saying it was expected of public representatives not to create “erroneous and slanderous impressions”. This has added to the ongoing stand-off between the two viz the impasse over oath-taking ceremony of two elected TMC MLAs. While Bose invited them to take oath at Raj Bhavan, they insist to do so in the Assembly as per the convention that in case of poll winners, the Governor assigns the Speaker or the Deputy Speaker to administer the oath. With either side unwilling to give up their positions, Assembly Speaker has not only written to President Murmu but also sought Vice-President Dhankhar’s intervention to resolve the impasse. What is happening, is unacceptable, he said. Will they oblige and facilitate a resolution? And how does the case pan out? Bengal keeps its reputation of keeping all guessing.
Delhi Rain Mayhem
The national capital, Delhi, was brought to its knees with just three hours of rain, though highest in past 80 years! Areas of the city, even splendid Lutyens’s Delhi were inundated with water, a canopy collapsed at the airport’s Terminal 1, killing a cab driver and injuring six others, cars submerged, long traffic snarls, residents waking up to water in their homes, offices having low attendance et al. Worse, amidst all this chaos the infamous blame game between LG office and AAP government was on public display. Far from tackling the crisis as one team, Lieutenant Governor Saxena and AAP government held separate emergency meetings and issued orders, setting up their emergency control rooms. In a X post LG wrote: ‘It’s shocking the Flood Control Order and desilting of drains that should have been issued and completed by 15 June are still pending…’ Delhi Urban Development Minister Bhardwaj hit back with: ‘Chief Secretary has on record said they are being called for different meetings and they don’t have to go to the ground…’ Disaster management alright! — INFA