1. Opposition Snatches Kairana From BJP to Score 11/14 in Bypolls
Dealing a blow to the ruling BJP, Opposition parties on Thursday, 31 May, emerged victorious in 11 out of 14 Lok Sabha and Assembly bypolls, while limiting the saffron party and its allies to just three, and snatching the high-profile Kairana parliamentary seat in Uttar Pradesh with a united force.
With prestige at stake in every single bypoll in the run-up to the 2019 general elections, the Opposition leaders latched onto Thursday's results across 11 states to claim sliding popularity of the Narendra Modi-led government.
However, Opposition leaders saw a big boost for strengthening non-BJP unity with the ruling party losing Kairana Lok Sabha seat in the politically important Uttar Pradesh to a united Opposition after a communally-charged election campaign, while the result in the Bhandara-Gondiya Lok Sabha constituency in Maharashtra was similar.
(Source: PTI)
2. Lok Sabha Results: Countdown for Modi Govt Has Begun, Says Opposition
The reverses suffered by the BJP on Thursday, 31 May, in bypolls across the country, including in Kairana where the united Opposition won a third Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh this year, sparked fresh calls from the Opposition parties to forge unity in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
The Congress termed the outcome of the bypolls as the people's mandate against the four years of the Narendra Modi rule and the "beginning of the end" of BJP's empire, while the Samajwadi Party (SP) said people are giving a "befitting reply" to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader Jayant Chaudhary, whose party nominee wrested the Kairana seat from the BJP, said the united Opposition had succeeded in halting the ruling party's "chariot of hate" in Uttar Pradesh. He hoped the combined Opposition would keep its momentum to defeat the BJP in the next Lok Sabha polls.
(Source: PTI)
3. Rajini Loses Cool Over Stand on Tuticorin Clashes; Later Issues Apology
On 30 May, Rajinikanth visited people who were injured in the anti-Sterlite protests in Tuticorin and promised to donate Rs 2 lakh each to the families of those who were killed and Rs 10,000 for the injured.
When Rajinikanth reached the Chennai airport, reporters asked him to explain his statement that “anti-social elements” were responsible for the clashes. Hearing this, Rajini completely lost his cool and said, “Don't ask me how I know, I know all of that.”
Rajini further said, “If there are going to be protests for every issue, Tamil Nadu will turn into a graveyard.” However, in a statement on 31 May, the superstar issued an apology for the outburst directed at the reporters in Chennai, stating that he didn’t intend to hurt anyone.
“Chennai journalists have said that my press conference at the airport yesterday was rude, disrespectful, and threatening. I would like to state that I didn’t have any intention of hurting anyone. I regret if I hurt any of their sentiments,” he said.
Read full story here.
4. Kumaraswamy to be Karnataka CM for Full 5 Years: Congress
Congress and JD(S) are likely to announce a power-sharing deal for their coalition government in Karnataka on Friday, 1 June, with unambiguous reiteration that HD Kumaraswamy will be chief minister for the full term and the two parties will contest the 2019 Lok Sabha polls together.
Contrary to speculation, the protracted negotiations were focussed not just on ministerial portfolios to be apportioned between the two partners but also on other dimensions — setting up a coordination committee, common minimum programme and stability of the government.
Among key portfolios, finance will go to JD(S) while the home department will be run by the Congress.
(Source: The Times of India)
5. Bid to Thwart Second Wave of Nipah
Efforts to thwart the advance of a second wave of Nipah virus infection are on in Kerala, even as one more death was reported from Kozhikode district on Thursday 31 May. This is the third death in two days, taking the total death toll in the state to 17.
Rasin, 25, son of Bhaskaran of Kottoor grama panchayat in the district, succumbed to the infection at the Government Medical College Hospital (MCH).
RL Saritha, Director, Health Services, told the media that Rasin did not have any contact with the family members of V Moosa of Chengaroth, near Perambra, who are considered to be the first source of infection. As he contracted it from a second source, the department has now begun activities considering this as a second wave of infection, she pointed out.
More people were getting added to the contact list, which now has 1,407 people in it.
(Source: The Hindu)
6. To Cut Fuel Rates, Government Works on ONGC Plan
The Centre is working out a solution with the Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) to announce a cut in diesel and petrol prices. A meeting was held late Thursday, 31 May, sources said, at Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s residence.
Asked when the government could decide on the cut, an official told The Indian Express that the announcement could come any time.
Centre is working on getting ONGC to shoulder the burden of rising fuel prices as it is reluctant to cut the excise duty levied on petrol and diesel.
The government’s plan was to direct ONGC to sell its crude oil at below ruling international prices by capping the price for the entire fiscal year. Oil India Ltd, the other national oil producer, will not be a part of this scheme.
(Source: The Indian Express)
7. Meet Aadhaar Enrollment Target or Salary Cut: PSU Banks to Staff
Though the jury is still out on the need for Aadhaar, public-sector banks are taking extra pains to ramp up enrolment, as dictated by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. The New Indian Express has reliably learnt that many PSU banks have warned their employees of coercive action, including salary cuts, if they fail to enroll a minimum of 16 persons a day for Aadhaar.
For example, UCO Bank Jodhpur zone has shot off a letter to all branches saying, “You are instructed that you must meet the target of enrolment of 16 Aadhaar otherwise the penalty imposed by the Unique Identification Authority of India will be deducted from your salary.”
UCO Bank’s letter dated 25 May, accessed by TNIE, follows an order by IT Ministry saying “financial disincentives shall be payable” if banks fail to meet the target of 16 enrolments a day.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
8. Gauri Lankesh Murder: Four Suspects Remanded
Four persons suspected of involvement in the killing of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh were on Thursday, 31 May, remanded to police custody for 10 days by a Bengaluru court.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) produced Manohar Gundappa Edve (30), Sujith Kumar alias Praveen (37), Amol Kale alias Bhaisab (40) and Amit Degwekar alias Pradeep before the Additional Chief Metropolitan Court and sought their custody for interrogation.
The four persons were arrested recently for allegedly hatching a plot to kill Kannada writer KS Bhagawan, known for his anti-Hindutva stance, according to SIT sources.
The SIT arrested them suspecting their possible involvement in the murder of Gauri Lankesh also.
(Source: PTI)
9. Shimla Water Crisis: Congress Serves Five Day Ultimatum to State Govt
The acute shortage of drinking water in Himachal Pradesh, particularly in capital town Shimla, has put the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government on the back foot.
Opposition parties are using the water crisis to embarrass the Jai Ram Thakur government, with the Congress on Thursday, 31 May, serving a five-day ultimatum to the government to solve the water crisis.
State Congress chief Sukhwinder Singh said that if the water scarcity was not solved within five days, his party would block the highways all over the State and would stage protests.
(Source: The Hindu)
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