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In Himachal too ‘rivaj badlega’, says optimist Thakur

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With Himachal Pradesh heading to the Assembly polls on November 12, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur is leading his campaign with the slogan ‘rivaj badlega’ (electoral traditions will change) as BJP governments have repeated in the recent Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana polls.

This small hill state has not seen any incumbent party returning to power since 1985. Since then both archrivals — the Congress and the BJP — ruled the state alternatively in eight terms.

This time, the saffron party, with anti-incumbency weighing heavy on its governance, seems to be banking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s charisma, instead of flashing its own achievement card.

The Prime Minister held three back-to-back public meetings ahead of the poll announcement.

At every rally, Thakur, the 57-year-old five-time legislator who rose through the ranks, missed no opportunity to remind the public about Modi’s special bond and love for the people of the state where he spent a few years as in-charge of the state’s affairs in the late 1990s.

“Is baar sarkaar nahin, rivaj badlega (This time not the government, but the tradition will change),” a confidant Thakur, the first-time Chief Minister who has been toeing the Modi government’s ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ mantra, told IANS on Saturday before heading to attend Union Minister Amit Shah’s rally in Sirmaur district, the first by the Central leadership after the poll announcement.

Firmly believing that the Prime Minister has always bestowed his blessings on Himachal by offering so many developmental projects in the past five years, Thakur asked the Opposition: What is wrong in seeking votes on the name of the ‘pradhan sevak’ who devoted his life to the welfare of the people and good governance.

“The Prime Minister has always shown his benevolence and affection to the state as he visited every nook and corner of the state as party in-charge of Himachal Pradesh. Secondly, Modi-ji as Prime Minister has visited nine times in the past five years. Even during the coronavirus pandemic he visited the state and dedicated the Atal Tunnel Rohtang.”

Taking a dig at the Congress, Thakur said on one hand it has launched ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, and on the other, its senior leaders are following Congress ‘Chhodo Yatra’.

“Under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Modi, the present government would again come into power and continue serving the people.”

Listing out achievements of the double-engine government that has given the hill state new infrastructure in every step, Thakur, who is leading the party poll campaign, said the Prime Minister’s vision and commitment to strengthen health services across the country is being showcased again in the state through the inauguration of AIIMS Bilaspur.

“This (Central) government believes in laying the foundation stone of a project and inaugurating itself.”

He thanked the Prime Minister for sanctioning the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Bulk Drug Park that will strengthen the state’s health sector and the pharmaceutical hub.

He expressed gratitude of the Prime Minister for inaugurating the IIIT (Indian Institute of Information Technology) Una, flagging off the inaugural run of the Vande Bharat Express from Amb Andaura to New Delhi and for launching the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana-III (PMGSY) scheme.

“More than 39,500-km road network is catering the needs of the people, especially in rural and remote areas, in the state. Out of this road length, about 50 per cent has come up under the ambitious Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana. The sanction of Rs 3,200 crore for PMGSY-III will transform the prevailing road infrastructure and will further boost rural economic activities,” the Chief Minister explained.

Going to the polls with the firm belief that the Centre-state unison helps strengthening the spirit of cooperative and competitive federalism, Thakur, who through his stint believes development and no witch hunting, said this is only the BJP government in the Centre that realised the agony and hardships of the people of the state.

“We succeeded to excel in road, health, medical education, education and other developmental sectors, besides the welfare of the poor, downtrodden and the women.

“The previous government spent Rs 400 crore on social security pensions, whereas we are spending Rs 1,300 crore. Nearly 7.50 lakh eligible beneficiaries are presently getting pensions whereas only 4 lakh pensioners during the previous government tenure,” Thakur said, while replying to a question on the Congress promise to restore the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) to benefit 225,000 government employees, a crucial vote bank.

Thakur was elevated to the post after the party’s chief ministerial candidate Prem Kumar Dhumal suffered an abject defeat in the 2017 Assembly polls.

In the run-up to the Assembly polls, Prime Minister Modi launched Rs 6,000 crore development works across various sectors and inaugurated AIIMS Bilaspur, the foundation stone of which was laid by him on October 3, 2017.

As far as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is concerned that is now setting its eyes on conquering hills after demolishing the citadels of all major political parties in Punjab, Thakur said the situation in Punjab was different.

“The people of Himachal earlier also rejected the third front. The leaders of AAP are over enthusiastic after their victory in Punjab, but they should also remember that their candidates have not only lost on all seats in the Assembly polls in Uttarakhand but their security deposits were also forfeited.”

For the Congress, corruption, unemployment and poor performance of the government are among the major poll issues.

Political observers told IANS that the BJP under the leadership of Thakur is facing anti-incumbency. This reflected in its humiliating defeat in the October 2021 by-polls in three Assembly seats and one parliamentary seat of Mandi having 17 Assembly seats in Mandi, Kullu, Lahaul-Spiti, Kinnaur and Chamba districts.

But Thakur believes it is simply a “Virbhadra wave” that did the trick for the Congress in the by-polls.

He said the Congress won because of the sympathy with the late Virbhadra Singh, which would not happen in the Assembly elections.

But to overcome the anti-incumbency, the BJP central leadership is focusing to induct seasoned politicians with organisational and ministerial experience from the Congress to give the state leadership a new look to win a consecutive term.

“For the Congress, the exodus of leaders means dampening the morale of the grassroots in the run-up to the polls,” a political observer told IANS.

He says the induction of three-time legislator Harsh Mahajan, who for over a decade played a crucial role in strengthening the party organization at the grassroots under Virbhadra Singh, in the BJP is the party’s ‘self-goal’.

Before Mahajan, two sitting Congress legislators — Lakhwinder Rana and Pawan Kajal — had also switched loyalties to the saffron party.

A total of 55.74 lakh voters would cast their votes in the elections. They comprise 27,80,203 men, 27,27,016 women, 67,532 service voters and 44,173 first-time voters. In the 2017 Assembly polls, there were 50,25,941 voters.

The counting of ballots will be held on December 8.

The BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections had won all four seats that saw 72.25 per cent polling, 7.80 per cent higher than 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

In 2017, the BJP wrested power in Himachal from the Congress, winning close to a two thirds majority with 44 seats in the 68-member Assembly.

The Congress won 21 seats, independents two and the Communist Party of India-Marxist one.

International News

India leverages water resources as strategic tool to tighten noose around ‘rogue state’ Pakistan

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New Delhi, April 24: India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) is not only morally justified in light of continuing cross-border terrorism but also legally defensible due to repeated procedural violations by Pakistan, several experts reckoned on Thursday.

The action, they said, is a sovereign right exercised to protect national interest, security, and the integrity of international agreements, which depend on reciprocity and mutual adherence.

“​This step signals that while India has always honoured its international commitments, it will not be taken for granted when the other party – a rogue state like Pakistan – repeatedly breaches the spirit and terms of the agreement,” an analyst opined.

Under the Indus Waters Treaty signed between India and Pakistan in 1960, waters of three rivers – Ravi, Sutlej and Beas – averaging around 33 Million Acre Feet (MAF) were allocated to India for exclusive use. The waters of Western rivers – Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab – averaging to around 135 MAF were allocated to Pakistan except for specified domestic, non-consumptive and agricultural use permitted to India as provided in the Treaty.

Last August, India had served a formal notice to Pakistan seeking a review and modification of the IWT citing “fundamental and unforeseen changes in circumstances” that require a reassessment of obligations.

In the notice, India had highlighted that, under Article XII(3) of the IWT, its provision may from time to time be modified by a duly ratified Treaty concluded for that purpose between the two governments.

India’s notification highlighted fundamental and unforeseen changes in circumstances that require a reassessment of obligations under various Articles of the Treaty. Among various concerns, important ones included change in population demographics; environmental issues – need to accelerate development of clean energy to meet India’s emission targets; impact of persistent cross border terrorism, etc.

However, despite India’s repeated warnings, Pakistan was involved in serious violation of treaty protocols.

The eventual suspension of the treaty came only after persistent violations and was triggered further by national security threats, such as Tuesday’s Pahalgam terror attack, which has claimed 26 innocent lives.

The most critical breach occurred in 2016, when Pakistan unilaterally bypassed the treaty’s graded mechanism of dispute resolution outlined under Article IX of the IWT. This article mandates a stepwise escalation — from technical discussions to neutral expert adjudication and finally, if needed, to a Court of Arbitration.

In 2015, Pakistan initially requested a neutral expert to examine technical objections to India’s Kishanganga and Ratle Hydro Electric Projects. However, it withdrew this request next year and unilaterally approached the Court of Arbitration, violating the agreed dispute-resolution protocol. This deliberate deviation undermined the legal sanctity of the treaty and indicated a pattern of weaponizing legal mechanisms for political ends.

Recognising this breach, India issued a formal notice to Pakistan on January 25, 2023, calling for the modification of the treaty to ensure that the dispute resolution process could no longer be exploited unilaterally. ​By exhausting diplomatic options and adhering to procedural fairness, India demonstrated responsibility and restraint.

​Pakistan has also invoked the treaty’s dispute resolution provisions three times, not always in good faith.

The first instance involved objections to a hydropower project on the Chenab River in India-administered Kashmir. While Pakistan raised concerns that the project could give Indian engineers undue control over river flows, the World Bank-appointed neutral expert ruled in favour of India in 2007, validating the project’s design and sediment management as being in line with international best practices.

India has already set the stage to tighten the noose around Pakistan with several projects.

The Kishanganga Hydroelectric Project on a tributary of the Jhelum was commissioned in 2018 and diverts water from the Kishanganga River to a power plant in the Jhelum basin via a 23 km tunnel.

The Ratle Hydroelectric Project on Chenab was revived in 2021 with an 850 MW capacity as Pakistan raised concerns over potential flow manipulation.

The Tulbul Navigation Project on Jhelum was also never really off the table since the Uri attack in 2016 and can regulate water flow through a navigational lock-cum-control structure.

The Shahpurkandi Dam on Ravi was cleared in 2018 and completed in early 2024. It blocks surplus water from flowing into Pakistan, enhancing irrigation and power generation in India.

Similarly, the Ujh Multipurpose Project on a tributary of the Ravi, which was announced in 2020 is currently in the planning stage, combines storage, irrigation, and hydroelectric goals to cut off water flow to Pakistan.

It clearly shows that the IWT may only be temporarily suspended but the pressure is already building on Pakistan.

These developments clearly indicate a concerted effort by India to leverage water resources as a strategic tool in its geopolitical stance towards Pakistan and can have serious implications for the terror sponsors across the border.

Pakistan relies heavily on the Indus River system for irrigation, with about 80 per cent of its cultivated land – approximately 16 million hectares – depending on these waters. The agricultural sector contributes 23 per cent to Pakistan’s national income and supports 68 per cent of its rural inhabitants. Reduced water availability could lead to lower crop yields, food shortages, and economic instability.

The Indus basin also supplies 154.3 million acre-feet of water annually, which is vital for irrigating extensive agricultural areas and ensuring food security. Pakistan’s water storage capacity is low, with major dams like Mangla and Tarbela having a combined live storage of only about 14.4 MAF, which is just 10 per cent of Pakistan’s annual water share under the treaty. The suspension exacerbates these vulnerabilities by cutting off a guaranteed water supply.

The suspension of the IWT will also have significant economic implications for Pakistan, particularly in the agricultural and industrial sectors. It may also affect the country’s power generation capabilities, as hydropower is a crucial source of electricity.

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National News

Pahalgam attack: BJP legislators in Bengal stage protest, burn Pakistan flags in front of Assembly

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Kolkata, April 24: BJP legislators in Bengal, led by the Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari, on Thursday staged protests against the Pahalgam terror attack by burning Pakistan flags in front of the House.

“The widows of both Bitan Adhikari and Sameer Guha, the two killed tourists from West Bengal at Pahalgam on Wednesday, described how the Hindus were selectively killed there. Bengalis, in general, are travel-loving people. I will request them that from henceforth the Hindu Bengalis should make their tour plans after considering the demography of their destination,” Adhikari told the media.

“Be it the recent riot-hit Murshidabad or be it Kashmir, the only aim is to selectively target the Hindus,” the Leader of the Opposition said.

He also said that just like Israeli actions at Gaza, Pakistan will also be taught a lesson by India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.

“As long as Narendra Modi is the Prime Minister, everything is possible. Like Gaza, Pakistan will also be reduced to ashes,” Adhikari said.

Earlier, Adhikari also criticised actor-turned-politician and Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha member from Asansol, Shatrughan Sinha, for the latter’s comments that there is an attempt to create a narrative that only Hindus are being targeted.

Citing his comments, Adhikari said that the problem is that while terrorists come from outside, their supporters and sympathisers continue to roam around within the country.

“Their first task is to figure out how to trivialise brutality. I pray to God that they never have to stand in front of the barrel of a gun and be asked to recite the Kalma because I don’t want them to realise, even for a minute, the fool’s paradise they were living in, or get the slightest chance to feel remorse. They are not worthy of correction, repentance, or regret,” Adhikari said.

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Owaisi urges PM to invite all parties to all-party meeting on Pahalgam

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Hyderabad, April 24: AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to invite all the parties, including those having one MP, to the all-party meeting on the Pahalgam terror attack.

Owaisi said that since this is a national issue, everyone must be heard.

The Lok Sabha member posed on X on Thursday that he spoke to Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday night regarding the Pahalgam all-party meeting.

“He said they’re thinking of inviting only parties with “5 or 10 MPs.” When I asked why not parties with fewer MPs, he said that the meeting would get “too long”. When I asked “What about us, the smaller parties?” He joked that my voice is anyway too loud,” posted Owaisi.

The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president stated that this is not a BJP’s or another party’s internal meeting, it is an all-party meeting to send a strong and united message against terrorism and those countries that harbour terrorists.

He asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi if he couldn’t spend an extra hour to hear the concerns of all parties. “Your own party does not have a majority. Whether it is a party with 1 MP or a 100, they were both elected by Indians and deserve to be heard on such an important matter. This is not a political issue, it is a national issue. Everyone must be heard,” said Owaisi, urging the Prime Minister to make this a real all-party meeting.

Every party with an MP in Parliament must be invited, added Owaisi, the lone MP of AIMIM.

Owaisi on Wednesday strongly condemned the terror attack in Pahalgam. He stated that terrorists killed innocent people after asking about their religion and hoped that the government would teach a lesson to these terrorists.

“This is tragic. This massacre. We are standing in solidarity with the affected families and pray for an early recovery of those injured,” he said.

Owaisi said the terror attack was a result of an intelligence failure. He demanded that the Narendra Modi government recheck its deterrence policy.

The MP said this incident was more condemnable than Uri and Pulwama as terrorists, who have come from the neighbouring country, targeted civilians.

The AIMIM chief said the terror attack was carried out to damage the tourism industry. He said the terrorists who came from Pakistan to spread terror picked up an area which is not even connected by road.

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