No question of banning Bajrang Dal if it plays by rule-book: Congress leader Veerappa Moily
Bengaluru(PTI): There is no question of banning the Bajrang Dal if it plays by the rule-book and behaves itself, senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily said on Friday, as his party's manifesto proposing to outlaw the outfit continues to come under fire from the BJP.
Speaking to PTI, Moily said the reference should be viewed as the Congress issuing some kind of a notice and warning to Bajrang Dal, and not as if the party is going to ban it if it's voted to power in the May 10 Assembly elections in Karnataka.
On this issue, the former Chief Minister indicated that the Congress would adopt the approach of the then Home Minister Vallabhbhai Patel who, he said, lifted the ban on RSS after receiving an undertaking from the organisation that it would not indulge in "illegal activities".
The Congress in its manifesto for the Assembly polls released earlier this week said it was committed to take firm and decisive action against individuals and organisations spreading hatred amongst communities on grounds of caste and religion.
The party said: "We believe that law and Constitution are sacrosanct and cannot be violated by individuals and organisations like Bajrang Dal, PFI or others promoting enmity or hatred, whether among majority or minority communities. We will take decisive action as per law including imposing a ban on such organisations."
Moily said the "well-drafted" manifesto says organisations and individuals indulging in hate-crimes and illegal and anti-national activities would be severely dealt with and in that context PFI and Bajrang Dal were mentioned, and that the party would go to the extent of imposing a ban. "That does not mean we have done it, we are going to do it (ban)."
The former Union Minister said the Congress party has got its "own culture".
When Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated, Patel banned the RSS, and an order to outlaw the organisation was issued, Moily said. But the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru took the view that "we will not take that kind of decision, because everybody belonging to RSS is not bad, only a few people may indulge in that. Don't have them (ban) like that and that's how he wanted the Home Minister to lift the ban."
"Before lifting the ban, Patel got an undertaking from the RSS that they will not indulge in politics or any such illegal activity. That undertaking was given (by the RSS). On that condition, the ban was removed. That is how graciously the Congress has dealt with the situation. In future, we will also do the same thing (in case of Bajrang Dal).
"If Bajrang Dal doesn't involve themselves in hate crimes, anti-national or anti-Constitutional issues, or they don't involve themselves in crimes, there is no question of ban, let them behave themselves, that's all, this (manifesto) is some sort of a notice given to them," Moily said.
He said the proposal of the Congress to ban Bajrang Dal would have no adverse impact on the party's electoral prospects in next week's elections.
"People of Karnataka are vigilant, and they are understanding, they realise the importance of it. It's only a warning to those bodies (such as Bajrang Dal) and individuals to behave themselves and work as per Constitution and also go by the rule of law of the country," Moily added.
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Los Angeles county wildfires could be costliest in US history, early estimates say
Los Angeles, Jan 11: The wildfires that erupted this week across Los Angeles County are still raging, but already are projected to be among the costliest natural disasters in US history.
The devastating blazes have killed at least 11 people and incinerated more than 12,000 structures since Tuesday, laying waste to entire neighbourhoods once home to multimillion-dollar properties.
While it's still too early for an accurate tally of the financial toll, the losses so far likely make the wildfires the costliest ever in the US, according to various estimates.
A preliminary estimate by AccuWeather put the damage and economic losses so far between USD 135 billion and USD 150 billion. By comparison, AccuWeather estimated the damage and economic losses caused by Hurricane Helene, which tore across six southeastern states last fall, at USD 225 billion to USD 250 billion.
“This will be the costliest wildfire in California modern history and also very likely the costliest wildfire in US modern history, because of the fires occurring in the densely populated areas around Los Angeles with some of the highest-valued real estate in the country,” said Jonathan Porter, the private firm's chief meteorologist.
AccuWeather factors in a multitude of variables in its estimates, including damage to homes, businesses, infrastructure and vehicles, as well as immediate and long-term health care costs, lost wages and supply chain interruptions.
The insurance broker Aon PLC also said Friday that the LA County wildfires will likely end up being the costliest in US history, although it did not issue an estimate. Aon ranks a wildfire known as the Camp Fire in Paradise, California, in 2018 as the costliest in US history up to now at USD 12.5 billion, adjusted for inflation. The Camp Fire killed 85 people and destroyed about 11,000 homes.
The LA County wildfires, which were fuelled by hurricane-force Santa Ana winds and an extreme drought, remained largely uncontained Saturday. That means the final tally of losses from the blazes is likely to increase, perhaps substantially.
“To put this into perspective, the total damage and economic loss from this wildfire disaster could reach nearly 4 per cent of the annual GDP of the state of California,” AccuWeather's Porter said.
In a report Friday, Moody's also concluded that the wildfires would prove to be the costliest in US history, specifically because they have ripped through densely populated areas with higher-end properties.
While the state is no stranger to major wildfires, they have generally been concentrated in inland areas that are not densely populated. That's led to less destruction per acre, and in damage to less expensive homes, Moody's noted.
That's far from the case this time, with one of the largest conflagrations destroying thousands of properties across the Pacific Palisades and Malibu, home to many Hollywood stars and executives with multimillion-dollar properties. Already, numerous celebrities have lost homes to the fires.
“The scale and intensity of the blazes, combined with their geographic footprint, suggest a staggering price tag, both in terms of the human cost and the economic toll,” Moody's analysts wrote. The report did not include a preliminary cost estimate of the wildfire damage.
It could be several months before a concrete tally of the financial losses from the wildfires will be possible.
“We're in the very early stages of this disaster,” Porter said.
