{"id":187896,"date":"2022-04-02T01:48:57","date_gmt":"2022-04-01T20:18:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/?p=187896"},"modified":"2022-04-02T01:48:57","modified_gmt":"2022-04-01T20:18:57","slug":"north-east-upbeat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/2022\/04\/02\/north-east-upbeat\/","title":{"rendered":"North East upbeat"},"content":{"rendered":"

Removal of AFPSA<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\nBy Insaf<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well begun is half done!Chief Ministers of North East, particularly Assam, Nagaland and Manipur are upbeat as the Centre\u2019s announcement of removing the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from several districts in the three States is not just being viewed as \u2018historic\u2019 but \u2018a big step\u2019 for peace in the region. The demand has been long-pending and more recently following the tragic killing of 12 citizens in Mon district, Nagaland last year. Besides, it comes two days after the good news of Assam and Meghalaya signing an MoU resolving a part of their 50-year boundary dispute. On Thursday last, Home Minister Amit Shah chose to make the big announcement on AFSPA via a tweet: it\u2019s a result of improved security situation and fast-tracked development due to consistent efforts and several agreements to end insurgency and bring lasting peace in the Northeast under leadership of Prime Minister\u00a0Narendra Modi.\u201d The region, neglected for decades is \u201cnow witnessing a new era of peace, prosperity and unprecedented development\u2026\u201d he had added.
\nThe \u2018Disturbed Area\u2019 tag has been removed from 23 districts and partially from one district since Friday\u201415 police station areas each of six districtsin Manipur and seven in Nagaland,and 23 districts entirely and one district partially in Assam.The big question is when will be the \u2018right time\u2019 to do away with it completely. Chief Ministers say they would keep the pressure on for the districts left out.Be that as it may, one rights\u2019 activist, who would definitely keep a tab is the Iron lady of Manipur, Irom Sharmila, the face of the State\u2019s protest against the Act. Recall2004 when the issue hit both national and international headlines with a nude protest by Manipuri women, who held placards reading \u201cIndian army rape us\u201d and recall Sharmila undertook a 16-year-long hunger strike seeking repeal of the Act. She\u2019s happy, like the rest with this \u2018good beginning\u2019. How soon will \u2018stability and prosperity\u2019help the Act be completely thrown out and ensure \u2018lasting peace\u2019, time will tell.<\/p>\n

Punjab-Centre Row
\nThe writing on the wall is there for the AAP government in Punjab. New Delhi will not be friendly, rather Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will like his counterpart in West Bengal have to remind it of honouring \u2018federalism\u2019. The first signs are there. In the one-day special session of the Assembly on Friday last, he moved a resolution demanding immediate transfer of Chandigarh to the State. Punjab, it read, \u201cwas reorganised through Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966\u2026Since then a balance was maintained in administration of common assets like Bhakra Beas Management Board, by way of giving management positions in some proportion to the nominees of state of Punjab and Haryana.Through many of its recent actions the Central government has been trying to upset this balance.\u201d The pow-wow is a result of Home Minister Shah\u2019s announcement on Sunday last that Central service rules will apply to Chandigarh employees along with an advertisement for posts of BBMB members to officers of all States\/Central government. These posts \u201cwere traditionally filled by Punjab &Haryana officers and similarly, Chandigarh administration was \u2018managed by these officers in ratio of 60:40.\u201d Besides, Chandigarh city was \u201ccreated as Punjab\u2019s capital\u201d and therefore, it has been laying claim for its complete transfer. In Rajya Sabha, SAD member Harsimrat Kaur toodemanded that Rajiv-Longowal accord ratified by Parliament be honoured and Chandigarh be rightly transferred to Punjab. The question whether centre will heed need not be asked!<\/p>\n

\nBJP Unease In Delhi
\nDelhi saw a new low in political vendetta. BJP members allegedly indulged in vandalism outside Chief Minister Kejriwal\u2019s residence on Wednesday, promoting him to launch a verbal attack the next day: \u201cIf the country\u2019s largest party and ruling party do such hooliganism in the capital, what message will be sent to the youth?\u201d. The incident reached the doorsteps of Delhi High Court on Friday last with an AAP MLA petitioning: \u201cseveral BJP goons, in garb of a protest, launched an attack on Delhi CM\u2019s residence\u2026.while the Delhi police personnel simply looked on, doing little to stop the protestors.\u201d The court has sought a status report from the police observing \u201cSome took the law into their hands. There is element of fear sought to be created. That is evident. The police force was inadequate…they did try to stop them but they were outnumbered\u201d The police said 8 persons have been arrested and probe is underway, but the MLA is demanding setting up of a SIT. How far this incident will be played out is to be seen. Importantly, AAP has upped the ante against the BJP since its historic victory in Punjab. Signs of unease in the BJP are emerging. More is bound to follow.<\/p>\n

Kudos To Allahabad HC
\nWell said! Both Centre and State governments need to pay special heed to Allahabad High Court\u2019s observation on the draconian sedition law, which is becoming a rule rather than an exception. On Wednesday last, the single judge bench granted bail to three Kashmiri students, who were arrested five months ago on sedition charges after they reportedly raised \u2018pro-Pakistan slogans\u2019 following a cricket match in Agra last December and were accused of putting objectionable posts on social media.\u201dThe unity of India is not made of bamboo reeds which will bend to the passing winds of empty slogans\u201d, the judge observed, adding \u201c The foundations of our nation are more enduring. Eternal ideals bind India\u2019s indestructible unity. Constitutional values create an indissoluble union of India.\u201d There\u2019s another piece of advice: \u201cStudents travelling freely to different parts of country in quest for knowledge is true celebration of India\u2019s diversity and a vivid manifestation of India\u2019s unity. It\u2019s the duty of people of hosting state to create enabling conditions for visiting scholars to learn and to live the constitutional values of our nation.\u201d Seeking bail, the 3 students claimed they were \u2018falsely implicated\u2019, they \u2018truly represent Kashmiriyat\u2019, defined by a composite culture, have a bright future, but trial is moving at a snail\u2019s pace; the inordinate delay will lead to indefinite detention! This too must be taken note of. The system needs a change.<\/p>\n

Karnataka\u2019s Big Fight
\nThe nagging religious divide in Karnataka has got its first disapproving voice from the corporate. But the BJP-ruled State chooses to slam it too! On Wednesday last, Biocon head Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw had tweeted: \u201cKarnataka has always forged inclusive economic development and we must not allow such communal exclusion- If ITBT became communal it would destroy our global leadership. @BSBommai please resolve this growing religious divide.\u201d This after cases being reported of temples denying permission to non-Hindu traders and vendors to carry on business around their premises during annual temple fairs and religious events in some parts of the State. Pat came a response from Chief Minister Bommai 24 hours later saying Karnataka is \u201cknown for peace and progress\u201d, everyoneshould see to it that it is not affected. It can be discussed and resolved, \u201cso before going public, everyone should observe restraint.\u201d He would have done well to give the restraint advice to the BJP\u2019s IT cell, which targeted her with tweets such as \u201cGood to see Kiran Shaw wake up to the religious divide in Karnataka. Did she speak up when a belligerent minority sought to prioritise Hijab over education or Congress framed rules excluding non-Hindus from Hindu institutions. She helped Congress draft their manifesto. Explains?\u201d And trashed her views saying it\u2019s unfortunate to see people like Kiran Shaw \u201cimpose their personal, politically coloured opinion, and conflate it with India\u2019s leadership in the ITBT sector\u2026\u201d In poor taste, to say the least. \u2014 INFA<\/p>\n

\n

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Removal of AFPSA By Insaf Well begun is half done!Chief Ministers of North East, particularly Assam, Nagaland and Manipur are upbeat as the Centre\u2019s announcement of removing the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from several districts in the three States is not just being viewed as \u2018historic\u2019 but \u2018a big step\u2019 for peace in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-187896","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-features"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187896","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=187896"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187896\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=187896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=187896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=187896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}