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Thursday,21-November-2024
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Political earthquake again in Maharashtra?

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Mumbai: -(Yusuf Rana) Looking at the turmoil going on in the politics of Maharashtra, it can be said that the game of winning and losing is going on in the political chessboard. After the rebellion in NCP, a faction of Congress is also preparing to join BJP. Activities are going on in Mumbai and Delhi regarding this. If this group comes together, then there is talk of giving them three ministerial posts. Due to which cabinet expansion and division of departments may be affected. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis have been called to Delhi immediately. According to sources, the issue of expansion of the state cabinet and allocation of portfolios to ministers, which has been going on since last week, has finally been resolved in Delhi. Last evening, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and NCP leader Praful Patel held talks with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi for about an hour. It is being said that both the problems of cabinet expansion and division of departments have been resolved in this meeting. The formula of 4, 4, 2 has been fixed for the post of minister in Maharashtra. According to which the cabinet will be expanded. Interestingly, in the absence of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar and Praful Patel have settled the dispute. Let us tell you that no result came out after the discussion between Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar at Chief Minister’s residence Varsha Bangla for three consecutive days and three nights regarding cabinet expansion. On one hand, Eknath Shinde’s group was against giving the post of Finance Minister to Ajit Pawar. The controversy regarding the Ministry of Cooperative and Rural Development is not reducing. According to reports, during the meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi, Ajit Pawar and Praful Patel also discussed cabinet expansion, allocation of portfolios and other issues. According to the 4, 4, 2 formula, BJP and Eknath Shinde faction will get four ministerial posts each. While NCP will get two ministerial posts. That is, 10 ministers will take oath in the future cabinet expansion. Both these parties already have 10 ministers each in the cabinet. In this context, the number of ministers from both the parties will be 14. While NCP will have only 9 ministers in the cabinet. If he gets two more ministries, the number will increase to 11. After the meeting in Delhi, Praful Patel said that the conflict between the three parties of Maharashtra government is almost over. , That’s why the cabinet can be expanded today or tomorrow. Explain that the expansion will happen after the monsoon meeting, while the distribution of portfolios is expected today or tomorrow. However, now all the claimant MLAs are eyeing the cabinet expansion. In the new expansion, the ministerial posts with all the three parties will be reduced. Especially according to the 4, 4, 2 formula, Ajit Pawar’s NCP will get only two ministerial posts. This has increased resentment among NCP MLAs. NCP members are currently looking dejected as they have gone with BJP for power. However, now he does not seem to be getting a share in power. Due to this, three MLAs of Ajit Pawar group Azmani Rao Kokate, Atul Banke and Kiran Lahmte have expressed their displeasure over not getting ministerial posts. Significantly, not even two weeks have passed since the split in the NCP and anger has erupted. The upheaval that started in the Ajit Pawar faction has ended. In such a situation, it will be a big challenge for Ajit Pawar to convince these MLAs. On the other hand, the Shinde faction has opposed giving higher portfolios of ministries to the NCP. The Shinde faction has become aggressive on this issue. The Shinde MLA has taken a stand that he will not bow down to the NCP. This has increased the headache of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The difficulty before Shinde is whether he should listen to Delhi or his MLAs.

A group of 10 independent MLAs on Thursday decided to give up their bid for ministerial berths with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, claiming that they are upset with the current political developments in the state, according to sources. Independent candidates led by Prahar Janshakti Party chief and former minister Om Prakash B alias Bachchu Kadu said they are discouraged by the ongoing demand for cabinet posts, especially with the Nationalist Congress Party led by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar joining the government. . After the meeting of Independent MLAs with the Chief Minister on Monday, his group will take a final decision on the matter.

International News

Bangladesh High Court orders high-level probe into power deals with Adani group amid supply cuts

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Bangladesh’s High Court ordered the formation of a high-level enquiry committee comprising international energy and law experts to reevaluate all electricity-related agreements with the Adani group, The Business Standard, a local news portal, reported on Tuesday, November 19.

The bench of Justices Farah Mahbub and Debasish Roy Chowdhury has reportedly ordered the cabinet secretary to form the committee within a month and submit the report to the court in the next two months. 

Adani Power shares closed 0.47 per cent lower at ₹524.10 on Tuesday’, compared to ₹526.60 at the previous market close. 

The court, while hearing a petition, asked why instructions should not be given to cancel the uneven agreements made with the Adani group. It also asked for the documents related to the signing of the deal within a month.

Barrister M Abdul Qayyum, representing the petitioner, filed the writ in the High Court asking for the cancellation of all electricity deals with Adani group. Adani signed the 25-year power purchase agreement in 2017; at that time, no imported coal-based power plants were operational in Bangladesh, as per the report.

Adani’s Bangladesh power supply

Adani group’s Bangladesh power is supplied from Jharkhand’s 1,600 MW power plant. The cost of power is $0.1008 per unit or Tk12 per unit, a Bangladesh Power Development Board official was quoted as saying in the report.

This rate is 27 per cent higher than the rate of India’s other private producers and as much as 63 per cent more than the Indian state-owned plants. 

After Adani Power cut the Bangladesh power supply by half over the unpaid dues, the company also set a deadline of November 7 to switch off the flow of electricity if there was no clarity on the settlement of the outstanding amount.

Bangladesh reportedly owes Adani almost $850 million. Adani group later clarified that it had not demanded the full payment in seven days, as per the report.

Shortage of Power

Bangladesh continues to face a shortage of electricity, increasing the risk of blackouts, even after making a partial payment to Adani group, according to a Bloomberg report on Tuesday. 

Adani Power has received a letter of credit for $170 million, easing pressures from lenders, reported the agency, citing two people aware of the development. The partial payment doesn’t resolve the crisis, but the company won’t halt supplies for now, pending talks with the lenders of the Godda thermal plant in Jharkhand, the officials said. 

“Payments should have been made by this time,” Ahsan H Mansur, governor of Bangladesh Bank, said in a phone interview on Friday as per the report. The central bank “issued an instruction for the payment”, Mansur had said earlier this week.

The Adani electric supply accounts for nearly 10 per cent of Bengladesh’s total supply. The power company reduced its supply further to 500 megawatts on Thursday after cutting it to 700 megawatts earlier, as per the data collected from Power Grid Bangladesh cited in the news report.

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National News

Chhattisgarh: 5 Maoists Killed, 2 Jawans Injured In Narayanpur Encounter; Visuals Surface

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Narayanpur: In a major anti-Maoist operation, at least five Maoists were killed during a fierce encounter with security forces in the dense forests of the Abujhmad region in Chhattisgarh Narayanpur district on Saturday.

The gunfight took place after security personnel received reports about the presence of Maoists in the area.

According to officials, a joint team of security forces launched a search operation early Saturday morning. Around 6 a.m., the forces came under heavy fire, leading to an intense gunfight that lasted nearly five hours.

Statement Of One Of The Jawans

One of the jawan, part of the searching team, said that approximately 20 Maoists were present there, with at least five of them killed during the encounter.

“We were a team of 1,439 personnel deployed in the search operation. The encounter lasted until around 11 a.m., during which several Maoists were also injured. I came back but the search operation is still going on to capture the remaining Maoists,” he said.

2 Security Personnel Injured

During the operation, two security personnel sustained injuries. One of them, identified as Khileshwar Gawade, suffered bullet wounds in the head and right hand, while the other, Hiraman Yadav, was hit in the thigh. Both injured personnel were immediately evacuated and airlifted to Raipur for further medical treatment. Officials have assured that their condition is stable.

Security personnel have so far recovered the bodies of five Maoists, along with some weapons. The process of identifying the dead Maoists is underway.

About Abujhmad Region

The Abujhmad region, which borders Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district, is known for being a hotbed of Maoist activity. Just last month, security forces achieved an important victory by neutralising 31 Maoists in one of the most successful operations in Chhattisgarh’s history.

On the rising success of such operations, Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, Sundarraj P., had, last week said that a total of 192 Maoists have been killed this year alone. Authorities believe that sustained pressure from security forces is gradually weakening the insurgents’ grip in the region.

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National News

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge Slams BJP Over Infiltrator Issue In Jharkhand, Says ‘Ghuspetiya Andar Aa Rahe Aur Shah Sahab So Rahe’

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Jamtara (Jharkhand): As the BJP constantly evoked the issue of infiltration in Jharkhand, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said on Saturday that the BJP is scaring everyone in the name of infiltrators and when there is their government in the Centre, why can’t they stop it?

Addressing a public rally in Jharkhand’s Jamtara, Kharge said, “They (BJP) are scaring us in the name of infiltrators. You are in the central government, you are the Prime Minister, you are the home minister, then from where did the infiltrators enter?”

“Ghuspetiya andar aa rahe aur Shah Sahab so rahe,” he added.

He further said that the BJP only knows how to divide.

“When you can stop our helicopters, why can’t you stop infiltrators? They don’t know how to run the government. They only know how to divide. They have raised the matter of infiltrators in the elections and they are making people afraid of this. People are being incited in this way. This won’t work. Now people have understood you,” Kharge added.

About The Chopper Issue

The Congress Chief further targeted the BJP after party MP Rahul Gandhi’s chopper was delayed on Friday and said that today, his chopper was also delayed.

“Rahul Gandhi also did meetings here. We don’t know what problem does BJP has with us. When we want to come our helicopter gets stopped. Yesterday Rahul Gandh’s helicopter was denied permission to fly. Today Shah was coming here so I was stopped today for 20 minutes. His path was different and my path was different. Modiji comes in every way of ours,” Mallikarjun Kharge said.

Congress President Targets BJP Star Campaigners In Jharkhand

Sharpening his attacks further, Kharge targeted BJP star campaigners in Jharkhand and said that they all have gathered like a “war” is going on.

“In Jharkhand helicopters are flying like vultures. Did they come when anyone was in need here.? Some Chief Minister from Assam, Madhya Pradesh, all have gathered like a war is going on. This is battle of democracy where people participate and leaders have no role,” he said.

Voting for the first phase of the Jharkhand assembly elections concluded on November 13, with voting taking place in 43 out of the state’s 81 seats.

Elections on the remaining 38 seats will be conducted on November 20. The counting will be held on November 23.

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