Dalits, tribals will become slaves again if Modi, Shah get third term: Kharge
Dhule (PTI): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday claimed that a third term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah would mean the poor, Dalits and tribals would be “treated like slaves”.
Addressing a campaign rally in Maharashtra’s Dhule constituency, Kharge accused Modi of failing to deliver on his promises of bringing back black money and providing jobs.
“Before Independence, the poor, Dalits and tribals were treated like slaves. If you give a third term to Modi and Shah, the same situation will repeat. We will become slaves again,” he said.
Congress has fielded former MLA Shobha Bachhav against ex-Union minister Subhash Bhamre of BJP from Dhule Lok Sabha constituency which will vote on May 20.
“RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had said in 2015 that the Constitution should be changed. Later, many BJP MPs and saffron party leaders also made similar statements," Kharge said.
He accused PM Modi of “spreading lies”.
Modi chest-thumped about bringing back black money from abroad but never delivered on that promise, said Kharge.
“He claimed to provide two crore jobs every year but never did. Instead of increasing farmers’ income, as per his claims, his wrong policies increased the production cost for growers. That is why Modi should be removed from power,” Kharge added.
He also brought up the issue of social unrest in Manipur due to ethnic clashes.
"When the people of Manipur were suffering so much, Modi never uttered a single word about it. He is a coward who did not even visit there. Rahul Gandhi, on the other hand, started his Nyay Yatra from there and also interacted with people.
"Modi talks about 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikaas', but what he did is 'Sabka Satyanash' (destruction)," the Congress leader said.
Kharge said if voted to power, the Congress government will fill all 30 lakh vacant seats in various departments of the Central government.
"The only reason Modi did not fill these vacancies was because doing so would have meant application of quotas. He didn't want more Dalits and backward communities to get jobs," he alleged.
Kharge also accused the BJP of trying to create communal division in the country.
"Instead of talking about the works he did, Modi talks on Hindu-Muslim issues. He talks about Mughal, Muslims and 'Mangalsutra', which is divisive. You cannot fool all the people all the time," the Congress president said.
He cited some "internal reports" to claim that Maharashtra, which sends 48 members to Lok Sabha, would give maximum seats to the INDIA bloc.
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Ordinance issued to increase number of Supreme Court judges from 34 to 38
New Delhi (PTI): The government has promulgated an ordinance to increase the strength of the Supreme Court from the present 34 judges to 38, including the Chief Justice of India.
The law ministry notified the ordinance on Saturday, which amended the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956, to increase the sanctioned strength of the top court.
So far, the sanctioned strength of the top court was 34, including the Chief Justice of India (CJI). Now, the number of judges has been increased by four, taking the sanctioned strength to 38.
The top court will now have 37 judges, other than the CJI.
With the apex court having two vacancies at present, and the ordinance coming into force immediately, the Supreme Court Collegium will now have to recommend six names for appointment as judges in the top court.
A bill will be brought in the Monsoon Session of Parliament to convert the ordinance – an executive order – into a law passed by Parliament.
The Union Cabinet had cleared a draft bill on May 5 to increase the number of apex court judges.
The strength of the Supreme Court was last increased from 30 to 33 (excluding the CJI) in 2019.
The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, as originally enacted in 1956, put the maximum number of judges (excluding the CJI) at 10.
This number was increased to 13 by the Supreme Court (Number of Judges), Amendment Act, 1960, and to 17 by another amendment to the law.
The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 1986, augmented the strength of judges from 17 to 25, excluding the CJI.
A fresh amendment in 2009 further increased the strength from 25 to 30.
Article 124(3) of the Constitution lists the qualifications required to become a Supreme Court judge.
An Indian citizen who has either served as a high court judge for at least five years, or as an advocate for 10 years, or is a distinguished jurist, can be appointed to the top court.
The strength of the Supreme Court is increased based on the recommendations of the CJI, who writes to the Union law minister. After consulting the finance ministry, the Department of Justice under the law ministry moves the Cabinet with a draft bill.
