Goa government without CM
Human beings suffer from diseases some way or the other. They change a human being from inside out when they arrive. And at times, they even take the human being with them when they depart, while leaving a huge impact on family members too. This also imparts somewhat a new perspective about life to those who see this from close. The disease is a true humanist. It does not differentiate between poor and rich. It affects everyone equally. Politicians, movie stars, industrialists, actors, all of them have been claimed by cancer. And it has spread its claws around some prominent politicians. But in the recent times, Goa CM Manohar Parrikar is in news for different reasons.
That his cancer is at terminal stage has been revealed by BJP leaders themselves in an official press statement. A minister said though his disease has advanced, he is still proactive in the administration. At the same time, Goa Speaker has said Parrikar will remain the CM of Goa till the end. It’s not like a cancer stricken person shouldn’t occupy high posts. In the recent times Goa CM’s picture splashed across all media outlets. He was wearing a tube in his nose, and had gone terribly weak physically. In this picture, he was participating in the session. It didn’t look like he was fit to take part in the administration under such dire condition. More than anything else, a cancer patient has his own dignity. A weak body and tube running through the nose is a bit dramatic to be seen in the house.
It is evident that he cannot take care of the administration under such circumstances. BJP is running a government in Goa only with Parrikar’s name in the front. In some ways there is no post of CM in Goa per se. Or the office of a CM has been shifted to a hospital ward. At this stage, Parrikar has to resign voluntarily. It was his duty to do that and hand over the post to someone else. But this has not happened. More than that, BJP has clearly said he will continue to be the CM till the end.
One wonders whether BJP is using Parrikar’s health as a political tool. It is trying to show Parrikar’s weak pictures to people to emphasise he is working for people’s good even till the end of his breath trying to evoke public sympathy, just as the party is doing politics over soldiers dead bodies. This is not just inhuman but also shows the desperate situation BJP is in. This is a shameless stage that BJP has reached to stay in power. Parrikar is a failed defence minister. He resigned from the post of union defence minister to become the CM of Goa.
He played a big role to clinch power for BJP in Goa. In this backdrop, BJP may have assumed he has to remain in the seat of CM till the end. But one wonders whether the people of Goa need to pay this price at all. There is another argument behind Parrikar continuing as the CM. He is said to be part of the Rafale deal as well and he holds some vital documents regarding the deal. If there is an investigation, Parrikar is sure to be arrested. So it is inevitable that he continues as CM. He is also blackmailing the BJP leaders while holding on to Rafale deal. Hence they are hesitating to seek his resignation.
He knows the most important aspects of the deal but he has made it clear that he did not have any important role to play in this aspect. This must be the first time in the history of the country that a leader is running the state from his hospital ward at the terminal stage of cancer. This also shows BJP’s helplessness and absence of choice of candidates for the post of Goa CM. Hence the party will use Parrikar’s photos to do politics till Lok Sabha elections trying to whip up emotions. This way BJP has insulted both the cancer patient and also democracy. At least now BJP must get Parrikar to resign and get a new CM for Goa.
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SC to hear on May 4 PIL seeking stringent guidelines for issuing Aadhaar to adolescents, adults
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a plea seeking a direction to the Unique Identification Authority of India to issue new Aadhaar cards only to citizens up to the age of six years, and frame stringent guidelines for its issuance to adolescents and adults to stop infiltrators from masquerading as Indian citizens.
As per the apex court's causelist of May 4, the plea would come up for hearing before a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi.
The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay has also sought a direction to the authorities to install display boards at common service centres stating that the 12-digit unique identification number is only a "proof of identity" and not a proof of citizenship, address or date of birth.
Besides all the states and Union Territories, the plea has made the UIDAI -- which is the authority that issues Aadhaar -- and the Union ministries of home, law and justice, and electronics and information technology as parties.
The plea, filed through advocate Ashwani Dubey, said Aadhaar, originally intended as a proof of identity, has increasingly become a "foundational document" enabling individuals to obtain other identification documents, such as ration cards, domicile certificates and voter identity cards.
"The UIDAI has issued 144 crore Aadhaar and 99 percent Indians have been enrolled. Therefore, the petitioner is filing this writ petition as a PIL under Article 32, seeking a direction to UIDAI to issue new Aadhaar to children only and frame new stringent guidelines for adolescents and adults, so as to stop infiltrators from getting it and masquerading as Indian citizens," the plea said.
It said the need to file the plea arose when the petitioner came to know the manner in which infiltrators are able to procure Aadhaar through a verification process that is weak and can be easily manipulated.
"Foreigners apply for Aadhaar under the 'foreign' category. But infiltrators apply for Aadhaar under the 'Indian citizen' category and get it easily made. Thereafter, they obtain a ration card, birth and domicile certificate, driving licence, et cetera, essentially becoming indistinguishable from Indian citizens…," it said.
Besides seeking other directions, the plea has raised legal questions, including whether the Aadhaar Act 2016 has become "temporally unreasonable" for failing to keep up with the legislative intent of distinguishing foreigners from Indian citizens.
It said the alleged misuse of Aadhaar undermines targeted welfare delivery and leads to diversion of public resources.
