Chennai: Siddaramaiah conferred with Ambedkar Sudar award by VCK
Chennai, Jul 30: Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah, who received the Ambedkar Sudar award instituted by the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), at a gala function here on Saturday evening accused the BJP government at the Centre of 'duplicity' in ensuring social justice.
Though he hailed Droupadi Murmu becoming the President of India, the Centre was not keen on implementing social justice, he claimed and referred to a statement by former Union Minister Anant Kumar Hegde, who had said his party came to power to change the constitution drafted by Ambedkar.
"The Minister in Narendra Modi's cabinet made a statement: 'We have come to power only to change the constitution written by Ambedkar.' He should have made the statement with the knowledge of the Prime Minister and Home Minister Amit Shah, otherwise he would have been sacked immediately," Siddaramaiah claimed.
"I welcome Droupadi Murmu becoming the President but wonder if the RSS has ever followed social justice in elevating its leaders," the leader of the opposition in Karnataka Assembly said.
The award was in recognition of his tireless service in opposing the 'Sanatana' and following the footsteps of "revolutionary social reformer" B R Ambedkar said Lok Sabha MP Thol Thirumavalavan, after presenting the award.
"Siddaramaiah's past 16 years of political journey has been with the Congress. He remains firm in opposing the principles of 'Sanatana' because of his own backward class background and his ideological commitment to activist Ram Manohar Lohia, Ambedkar and social reformer Basavanna," Thirumavalavan, also founder of the TN-based VCK said.
The former Karnataka CM remained committed to opposing the hate politics of the Sangh Parivar that engineers divisions within society and caste on religious lines," the VCK leader said and added that Siddaramaiah's ascension to the position of Chief Minister was a result of his relentless hard work and the politics of social justice taken forward by him.
S V Rajadurai, writer and human rights activist, V G Santhosam industrialist, Chellappan former IAS officer, Tehlan Baqavi, leader of Social Democratic Party of India, Prof K Rajan, archaeologist and R Jawahar (posthumous) writer and activist were presented the Periyar Oli, Kamarajar Kathir, Iyothee Thass Aadhavan, Quaid-E-Millat Pirai, Semmozhi Gnayiru and Marx Mamani awards, respectively.
"I am very very happy to receive this prestigious Ambedkar Sudar award given by VCK," Siddaramaiah said after receiving the award.
Advocating the abolition of the caste system in India, AAP Minister for Social Welfare, SC & ST, Rajendra Pal Gautam pointed out that world over caste system has been dispensed with and only in India it has been kept live.
"Why was the caste system not abolished in India? The Centre and BJP-ruled States want the caste system to be alive. They want the atrocity to continue. They are not willing to give us our share. So, we have to fight for justice and fulfill the dreams of Ambedkar," he said.
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HC to decide if gram panchayat members can continue in Manipur post tenure: SC
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Thursday said the high court would decide whether the elected gram panchayat members, whose five-year tenure was over in Manipur, were entitled to continue in their posts in the event of the appointment of an administrative committee or an administrator.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh said it would like to have the benefit of the view of the high court in the matter and set a three-month time frame to adjudicate the legal question.
"The question that falls for consideration in this case is that whether the elected member of the Gram Panchayat whose five-year tenure is over was entitled to continue as members of the gram panchayat in the event of appointment of administrative committee or administrator, as contemplated under Section 22 of the Manipur Panchayati Raj Act of 1994," the bench noted.
The Manipur government’s counsel said the state could not hold panchayat elections due to the unprecedented violence.
"Since, we would like to have the advantage of the opinion of the high court, we dispose of the special leave petition without expressing any opinion on merits, with the request to the chief justice of Manipur High Court to post the main case before a division bench at the earliest. We further request the division bench, before whom the matter is listed, to provide expeditious hearing with an endeavour to resolve the controversy within three months," the bench said.
The bench noted that provision of Manipur Panchayati Raj Act was amended to substitute the word "cease" with the word "continue" with respect to the tenure of the elected members of the gram panchayat.
The petitioners have challenged a high court order and submitted that since elections in gram panchayat could not be held in Manipur for various reasons, the previously elected members of the panchayat were entitled to continue as per the amended Section 22 (3) of 1994 Act.
Section 22 deals with the power of deputy commissioner to appoint an administrative committee or an administrator for a period of six months, which will then oversee the election.
Section 22 (3) of the law says once the administrative committee or an administrator is appointed by the deputy commissioner, the elected members of earlier gram panchayat shall cease to exist.
The top court said what has been challenged before it was an interlocutory order of the high court and the main petition in which the question of law that had been raised was still pending.
The original petitioners before the high court were elected representatives at the fifth general elections for gram panchayats and the zilla parishads who sought a direction to continue in the office beyond the period of five years as stipulated by law as elections were last held in 2017.
They sought to continue as panchayat members till the time the state election commission notified the election for the sixth general elections for gram panchayats and zilla parishads.
On February 29, last year, the high court in its interim order gave liberty to Manipur government to appoint an administrative committee for each gram panchayat and zilla parishad in accordance with law and the provision of the Act.
