Day after confidence vote, Shiv Sena calls Rahul 'face of Opposition'
Mumbai, July 21 : Hours after it kept away from the no-confidence motion against the National Democratic Alliance government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ruling ally Shiv Sena came out in full praise of Congress President Rahul Gandhi here on Saturday.
"Rahul is now 'the face of the Opposition' that has become clear and evident from his speech yesterday (on Friday)," said Sena MP Sanjay Raut, who is also Executive Editor of the party mouthpiece "Saamana" which has been sharply critical of the government.
The Sena spokesperson added that after Friday's performance in parliament, "Gandhi has proved that he can effectively lead the Opposition".
"Rahul Gandhi has demonstrated that gradually, he can effectively lead the Oppositiona People had certain expectations from him. He has lived upto them to a large extent in his speech," Raut said while speaking to a private Marathi news channel Star Majha.
On Gandhi giving a surprise hug to Modi and the subsequent wink which flared up the social media, Raut shot back that "he (Rahul) did what Modi does always".
"The PM had gone to Pakistan and hugged Nawaz Sharif, what happened? When Rahul hugged Modi, everybody was surprised. He (Raul) showed that he is a successful politician.. And the wink (to his Congress colleagues) indicated that he had succeeded," Raut said.
On the Sena's decision to stay away from the no-confidence motion, he said that "sometimes, silence is more important".
"Whether we did or did not, remained present or not, the entire focus nationally was on our party. The Sena President took the decision at aan appropriate time' on this," Raut held.
Though the party did not speak by remaining away from the proceedings on Friday, he claimed that sometime silence is important, but "the message went across."
He added that whatever was discussed in the Lok Sabha on Friday, the Shiv Sena has been saying for the past four-and-half years.
For instance, when demonetization was announced (November 8, 2016), the first person to support it was Telugu Desam Party President N. Chandrababu Naidu, who is also Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, but Sena President Uddhav Thackeray opposed it the very next day, he said.
"Whether we are in government or not doesn't matter... Balasaheb Thackeray taught us and we never run for power," Raut said.
However, he declined to comment on whether BJP President Amit Shah or Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had reached out to the Sena ahead of the no-confidence motion, but mentioned that the NDA I and NDA II are very different.
"Earlier, George Fernandes was the convenor and the (then) Deputy PM L. K. Advani used to meet and speak with Balasaheb Thackeray. There were relations, it was not just business," Raut pointed out.
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Ensure paid holiday for postal staff on polling day in Kerala: John Brittas writes to Scindia
New Delhi (PTI): CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas on Sunday wrote to Union Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia, seeking his urgent intervention to ensure that postal employees in Kerala are granted a statutory paid holiday on April 9 for the Assembly elections in the southern state.
In his letter, Brittas expressed serious concern over the Kerala Postal Circle’s instructions to treat all postal employees as “absentee voters in essential services (AVES)”, directing them to opt for a postal ballot within an “extremely limited” timeframe.
The Department of Posts operates under the Ministry of Communications. Along with the Department of Telecommunications, it is one of the two main sections within the ministry headed by Scindia.
In his letter, Brittas pointed out that the circular dated March 19 required the collection of Form 12D by March 20 (Eid al-Fitr), and submission of the compiled details at the respective collectorates by March 22 (Sunday), both holidays in Kerala, making meaningful compliance difficult and raising apprehensions about the “arbitrary” nature of the directions.
The CPI(M) leader also pointed out that the Election Commission, in a communication dated March 16, reiterated the requirement under Section 135B of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, that every person employed in any establishment and entitled to vote shall be granted a paid holiday on the polling day, without any deduction or abatement of wages.
He said even where certain services are treated as essential, the long-standing administrative practice has been to maintain only minimal required operations on polling day, without denying employees the opportunity to vote in person.
Brittas argued that in some other states going to polls this month, including Assam, most postal employees have been granted a holiday on polling day, in accordance with the statutory provisions.
During the 2021 Kerala polls, postal establishments had observed a holiday on polling day, subject only to limited essential arrangements, he claimed.
The present deviation, Brittas said, raises concerns about inconsistency in the application of law and the avoidable curtailment of the democratic rights of employees.
Stating that the right to vote lies at the core of India's democratic framework, Brittas urged Scindia to examine the matter urgently.
“Given the proximity of the polling date, I earnestly seek your kind indulgence to have the matter examined on priority, and to issue urgent directions to the postal authorities in Kerala to ensure that the statutory entitlement of postal employees in Kerala to a paid holiday on the day of polling is duly ensured,” Brittas said in the letter.
The 140 seats in the Kerala Assembly will go to polls on April 9, and the results will be out on May 4.
