What is left of NDA after Akali Dal, Shiv Sena exit: Saamana
Mumbai: With the Shiromani Akali Dal walking out of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) over farm bills, the Shiv Sena on Monday wondered if the BJP-led alliance really exists and asked who are in the coalition now.
An editorial in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' said it was surprising that NDA's "last pillar" Shiromani Akali Dal was not stopped from severing ties with the alliance.
The editorial said, "When the Badals left, no effort was made to stop them. Earlier, the Shiv Sena also left NDA.
With these two parties out, what is left of the NDA? Those who are still there, do they have anything to do with Hindutva?"
"Punjab and Maharashtra represent manliness and Akali Dal and Shiv Sena are the faces of that manliness," it said.
"Now some have said 'ram-ram' (adieu) to this venture and so there is no Ram left in NDA, which has lost two lions (Akali Dal and Sena)," the editorial said.
The Akali Dal quit the NDA on Saturday over the issue of farm bills passed in Parliament. It is the third major party to walk out of the NDA in the recent period after the Shiv Sena and the TDP.
The Shiv Sena quit the NDA last year following differences with the BJP over sharing the chief ministerial post in Maharashtra on a rotational basis.
"First, the Shiv Sena had to quit the NDA. Now the Akali Dal has left it. Does the NDA really exist after its two key pillars have walked out?" it said.
"The NDA was formed to give a strong alliance against the Congress at the national level. The alliance saw many ups and downs over the years and several other parties quit it as per their convenience," it said.
The countrys politics is being pushed towards a one- party system, but the BJP has to face elections in several states by forging alliances with other parties, the Sena said.
The Shiv Sena said its government with the NCP and Congress in Maharashtra is doing a good job, and added it will complete its five-year term.
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MediaOne TV Facebook page restored after block linked to ‘government request’
Kochi: The official Facebook page of Malayalam news channel MediaOne TV has been restored after being blocked without prior notice, the broadcaster said on Wednesday.
The channel was quoted by Maktoob as saying that the restriction was lifted automatically, with Meta Platforms informing it that the action had been taken following a “government request” which has now expired or been reversed.
The development came shortly after the channel approached the Kerala High Court challenging the blocking of its page, terming it arbitrary and in violation of legal provisions and judicial precedents. The High Court had issued notice to Meta via email hours before the restriction was withdrawn.
In its petition, the channel said access to its Facebook page had been restricted for users in India without citing any specific content or alleged violation. It contended that while individual posts may be taken down under applicable a rule, blocking an entire page goes beyond the scope of such measures.
The incident followed an earlier action taken against the channel in 2022, when the Ministry of Information and transmitting prohibited it from transmitting. It cited national security concerns regarding the Ministry of Home Affairs' refusal of security clearance.
The Supreme Court of India in April 2023 set aside the ban, observing that national security claims cannot be made without substantive basis and that criticism of government policies does not render a media outlet anti-national.
