Shiv Sena row: SC questions Shinde faction

NEW DELHI, FEB 28 (PTI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Eknath Shinde-led faction if its move to go against the Shiv Sena party’s wish to continue with the coalition in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) amounted to indiscipline leading to disqualification.

Defending its stand, the Shinde faction said the legislative party is an integral part of the original political party and informed that there were two whips appointed by the party in June last year and it went with the one that said it did not want to continue in the coalition. A five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud told senior advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul, appearing for the Shinde faction, “If you don’t want to go with the alliance, decide that outside the House (state assembly).”

“Inside the House you are bound by the party discipline. Your writing of letter

SAYS ‘YOU ARE BOUND BY THE PARTY DISCIPLINE INSIDE THE HOUSE’

to the governor that you don’t want to continue with the MVA coalition, itself amounted to disqualification. The governor taking note of the letter actually recognised the split in the party,” it said.

Kaul assisted by advocate Abhikalp Pratap Singh said the governor is bound by the 1994 verdict of a nine-judge Constitution bench in the SR Bommai case, which was relied upon in the 2020 Shivraj Singh Chouhan case, that ultimately the test of majority has to be held on the floor of the House. “The

Christian leaders call on Andhra CM Jagan Reddy

Wantprotectionof churchpropertiesfrom allegedlandgrab governor was bound by this court’s verdicts and ordered for floor test. Else what is he supposed to do,” he said. The bench also comprising justices MR Shah, Krishna Murari, Hima Kohli and PS Narasimha asked Kaul to specify what was the relevant materials before the governor which made him ask for the floor test. “The government was running. Can the governor ask the chief minister for the floor test? Had it been after the election, then it would have been another matter. When a government is formed, it’s not open to

AMARAVATI, FEB 28 (PTI): A group of representatives from the Christian community called on Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy with a petition urging him to protect the assets belonging to churches in the state.

During the meeting here, bishops and other Christian leaders brought Reddy’s attention to the manner in which church properties in Andhra Pradesh are allegedly being grabbed.

“They brought to the notice of the Chief Minister that their properties are being grabbed and sought effective steps to protect them,” an official statement said on Monday.

The representatives met under the banner of AP Federation of Churches and also requested Reddy to exempt charity organisations from paying local taxes.

According to the statement, the Chief Minister assured them that an advisor would be appointed soon to spearhead their issues regularly to the government, including responding favourably to the request of separate cemeteries for the community.

Shah, Nadda

NEW DELHI, FEB 28

(PTI): The BJP top brass, including Home Minister Amit Shah and party president J P Nadda, on Tuesday held a meeting here with party leaders from Telangana as they look to intensify their campaign for the state assembly polls expected later this year.

Sources said the party will be holding one rally each in the 119 assemblies of Telangana after completing over 10,000 street corner meetings across the state. Rallies are expected to begin by the end of March.

State leaders were also asked by the party leadership to further strengthen the organisation by inducting prominent personalities, including leaders from different parties who are any group to say that we cannot go with this alliance. You, specify what were the compelling reasons which made the governor to ask the then chief minister to prove his majority in the House? What prevented the governor asking you to move no confidence motion in the House,” the top court said.

CJI Chandrachud asked why should a democratically elected government, which has been formed, be asked to face a floor test and does the governor by recognising the rival group not legitimise the defection, which is otherwise not permissible under the tenth schedule.

Earlier, in the day, senior advocate AM Singhvi appearing for the Uddhav faction said that with the things happening across the country it can be said that “governors are no more angels”. The hearing remained inconclusive and would continue on Wednesday.

Will continue raise people’s issues: Cong Saysnotscaredof agenciesunleashed bygovernment

NEW DELHI, FEB 28

(PTI): The Congress Tuesday said it was not scared of the agencies and the police “unleashed” by the government against it and will continue to raise questions concerning people’s issues.

The party also asserted that its just-concluded plenary session has laid the agenda to take on the BJP along with like-minded parties. Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said the party carried out a successful succession plan and democratically elected a new party president. It took on the government and made it withdraw the farm laws and forced it on the backfoot on CAA legislations, she claimed.

“We have taken on the government from streets to Parliament and have played the role of an opposition ef- fectively by raising issues of public importance. Agencies have indeed been put behind us in an unbridled manner and the police indulged in vandalism against not just our workers but even our top leadership.

“But neither their agency nor its ‘impotent’ police can deter or scare us. We will continue to raise our voices. We are not scared of them,” Shrinate told reporters. Shrinate noted that the party has fought with the farmers and “ensured” that the farm laws were repealed. The Congress took to the streets against inflation, unemployment and against brutal crimes against women, she said. “Every time we took to the streets, the government unleashed its agencies and the police against us. Who is scared of your agencies? Perhaps you are but not us. “We are the only political party that has consistently taken on the government as far as the Adani scam is concerned. There is a corporate group which is engulfed in charges of stock manipulation, stock rigging and is charged with benami money coming from shell companies and the government wants to look the other way,” Shrinate said. “We will keep questioning you because this is about people’s money and about the people of this country.”

The Congress leader said the plenary session has not just laid the ground for a more robust, young, agile party but also has ensured greater participation and representation of SCs, STs, OBCs and minorities and women in various party positions.