PM Modi going on US tour instead of resolving crisis in violence-hit Manipur, says Uddhav Thackeray
Mumbai, Jun 18: Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his scheduled visit to the US, and asked why he was going abroad instead of visiting Manipur to resolve the crisis in the violence-hit north-eastern state.
Addressing a state-level convention of his party, the first since the rebellion split Shiv Sena last year, he also dared the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the country.
"One part of our country is in the grip of violence and Modi hasn't gone there or taken steps to resolve the crisis, but is going to America," Thackeray said.
The PM will be going on a state visit to the US and Egypt from June 20 to 25.
Thackeray alleged that there have been claims that PM Modi stopped the Russia-Ukraine war.
"So Modi should stop the violence in Manipur and restore peace and then we will believe these claims," he added.
More than 100 people have lost their lives in the ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki community people in Manipur that broke out more than a month ago.
The former CM said he will go to Patna on June 23 for the meeting of non-BJP parties.
"These is not opposition parties that are meeting there, but the parties that are nationalists, who love their country and want to protect its independence and democracy,' he said.
He said Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had visited him at 'Matoshree' (Thackeray's personal residence) and invited him for the meeting.
"Earlier, only BJP leaders used to visit 'Matoshree', but now all parties, except BJP, have realised the importance of Shiv Sena. All parties who love the country should come together to stop the BJP," he said.
Thackeray also questioned why elections were not being held in Kashmir despite the abrogation of Article 370 years ago.
"So many years have passed since the abrogation of Article 370, but why elections are not being held and why are Hindus unsafe there," he asked.
Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, was abrogated on August 5, 2019, and the erstwhile state was bifurcated into two union territories - Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Thackeray dared the BJP to bring the UCC.
He wondered if it could not implement the ban on cow slaughter in the entire country, how can the UCC be implemented.
The Law Commission recently said it has decided to look at the need for a UCC afresh and seek the views of stakeholders, which include the members of the public and religious organisations.
Targetting Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for seeking his comment on the removal of chapters on late Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar and RSS founder K B Hedgewar from school textbooks in Karnataka, Thackeray referred to the recent advertisement by Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde and said Fadnavis's condition is such that he can neither tolerate the insult he is being subjected to nor complain about it either.
A newspaper advertisement published recently projected CM Shinde as being more popular in the state than his deputy Fadnavis.
Referring to the Karnataka text books row, he said many members of the text book board had resigned saying the text books given to students were not the ones approved by them, he said.
He said June 20 would be observed as the 'World Traitors' Day', a reference to the rebellion led by Eknath Shinde, and said their "betrayal" should not be forgotten.
The Shiv Sena split in June last year after Eknath Shinde and 39 other party MLAs rebelled against then Uddhav Thackeray and toppled the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition government of the Sena, NCP and Congress.
Shinde later became chief minister with the BJP's support and the Election Commission of India subsequently granted his faction the original party name and 'bow and arrow' symbol, while the Thackeray group was named Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray).
Speaking about it, Thackeray said, the real Shiv Sena belonged to him.
"You may steal MPs and MLAs, but not trusted and loyal supporters. Shiv Sena has shown people that it can run the administration efficiently. I took the chief minister's post as a challenge and today when I meet people they tell me that they consider me as a family member," he said.
If the country needs to be stable, should the government be unstable, he asked.
"Alliance governments were run well but under the current majority government, the country has become unstable," Thackeray alleged.
Nobody can be bigger than the nation, he said and criticised CM Shinde for saying "this is Modi's India".
The BJP is on the path of Hitler and our job is to get inspired by revolutionaries, he said.
On the controversy over the dialogues in the recently-released film "Adipurush" based on the Ramayana, Thackeray said Bajrang Bali had set BJP's chair of power in Karnataka on fire.
"I want to thank people of Karnataka for resisting these Bahubalis," he said.
The Congress last month won the Karnataka Assembly polls by defeatig the BJP, which was ruling the state. During the poll campaign in that state, PM Modi had urged the people of to say 'Jai Bajrangbali' when they cast their vote to "punish" the Congress for its "culture of abuse".
Referring to the issue of Karnataka text books, he said many members of text book board had resigned saying the text books given to students are not the ones approved by them.
Earlier, party leader Aaditya Thackeray asked Sena (UBT) workers to take a pledge to defeat the Shiv Sena rebels right from panchayat level to the Lok Sabha.
Party spokesperson Sanjay Raut exhorted the cadres to work for the party 's victory on its own.
He referred to the Eknath Shinde and his party leaders as "wolves in tiger skin".
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SC asks states, UTs to prepare action plan to implement guidelines for intensive care services
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court has asked all the states and Union Territories to prepare a "realistic and practical" action plan to implement the guidelines necessary as a minimum standard for intensive care units.
The apex court was informed that "Guidelines for Organisation and Delivery of Intensive Care Services", on which there is consensus and which is practical, implementable and necessary as a minimum standard for an ICU, has been prepared.
A bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and R Mahadevan said copies of the guidelines should be shared with all the states and UTs.
"Moving further, as an immediate measure, let all the additional chief secretaries/secretaries ... heading the department of health and medical education in the states and the UTs, convene a meeting of all experts involved in this exercise to prepare an action plan for implementation of the guidelines. Such a plan shall be realistic and practical," the bench said in its April 20 order.
The top court was hearing a matter relating to healthcare services, including guidelines for the treatment of patients in the ICU or critical care unit.
The bench said five basic issues shall be identified and prioritised in the first instance.
"The challenge ... lies in determining what ought to be treated as absolutely essential and mandatory; accordingly, an initial list of five basic requirements, in terms of priority, relating to both manpower and equipment/logistics, shall be prepared," it said.
It said a methodology should also be formulated for implementation on the ground, and more importantly, a mechanism to ensure compliance and monitoring of the implementation.
"We expect the exercise to commence immediately and the first meeting to be held within one week from today. We direct that the meeting shall be attended personally by the concerned additional chief secretary/secretary ... heading the department of health and medical education in the states and the UTs," the bench said.
It said the report prepared pursuant to the deliberations should be forwarded by the respective states and UTs to the Secretary of the Department of Health, Government of India, who in turn would circulate it to all the states and UTs.
The bench said thereafter, a meeting of all concerned should be convened where a final common agreed draft shall be prepared and circulated.
"A final report/blueprint/recommendation shall be prepared, which shall be placed before this court on the next date," it said, adding that the entire exercise should be completed within three weeks.
"Let the Ministry of Health, Government of India, formally issue the guidelines placed before us today, to the states and UTs concerned by way of an advisory. A copy of it shall also be uploaded on the website of the Ministry of Health, Government of India," the bench said, while posting the matter for further hearing on May 18.
During the hearing, it was suggested that for future requirements, the nursing staff should be trained to handle such situations since they remain with the patient round the clock, unlike doctors who may visit periodically.
"We fully endorse the suggestion, which is not only pragmatic but also imperative. Accordingly, the Indian Nursing Council and the Para Medical Council of India are impleaded as party respondents," the bench said.
It said on the next date, the newly added respondents shall come up with a plan indicating how they propose to augment the courses or curriculum and training imparted by them so that persons emerging from institutions recognised by them are capable of managing and handling situations in the ICUs.
