The Evening Wrap: INDIA parties to hold 'maha rally' in Delhi on March 31

The Opposition INDIA bloc will hold a “maha rally” at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on March 31 to “safeguard the country’s interests and democracy”, AAP leader Gopal Rai said on March 24. “We will hold a ‘maha rally’ at Ramlila Maidan on March 31 against what is happening in the country. The top leadership of the INDIA bloc will participate in the event,” Mr. Rai, the AAP’s Delhi convenor, said. “Democracy and the country are in danger. All the INDIA-bloc parties will hold this ‘maha rally’ to safeguard the country’s interests and democracy,” Mr. Rai added. Arvinder Singh Lovely, Congress Delhi unit chief, alleged that Opposition parties are not being given a level playing field and highlighted the freezing of his party’s accounts and the arrest of a Chief Minister. “The March 31 ‘maha rally’ will not only be a political one but a call to save the country’s democracy and raise voices against the BJP-led Centre,” he added. Lok Sabha polls 2024 | JD(U), BSP announce candidates list The Janata Dal (United) and the Bahujan Samaj Party have released their list of candidates for the Lok Sabha elections. The JD(U) released a list of 16 candidates providing a caste break-up, in a reflection of the impact that last year’s caste census has had on Bihar’s politics. Of the 16 candidates, six are from Other Backward Classes and five from Extremely Backward Classes, which together comprise 63% of Bihar’s population; three candidates are from the upper castes, which make up only 15% of the population; and one each from mahadalit and Muslim communities. Two candidates are women. In the seat-sharing deal within the State’s ruling National Democratic Alliance, the BJP was allotted 17 seats, while the JD(U) got 16, and the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) got five. The Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha were each allocated one seat of the State’s 40 Lok Sabha seats. The JD(U) has decided to drop two sitting MPs: Kavita Singh from Siwan and Sunil Kumar Pintu from Sitamarhi. Two turncoats — Lovely Anand, who recently joined the JD(U) from the Rashtriya Janata Dal; and Vijay Lakshmi Kushwaha, the wife of Ramesh Singh Kushwaha, the former RLM MLA from Ziradei, who has returned to the JD(U) — have been given tickets from the Sheohar and Siwan Lok Sabha seats respectively. In Uttar Pradesh, the BSP ticket distribution focussed on Muslim outreach with seven out of 16 candidates hailing from the minority community. The BSP fielded Mohammad Irfan Saifi from Moradabad, Mujahid Hussain from Amroha, Majid Ali from Saharanpur, Zeeshan Khan from Rampur, Anis Ahmad Khan alias Phool Babu from Pilibhit, Shaukat Ali from the Sambhal, Abid Ali from Aonla, Surendra Singh Pal from Nagina, Girish Chandra Jatav from Bulandshahr, Dodram Verma from Shahjahanpur, Vijendra Singh from Bijnor, Praveen Bansal from Baghpat, Devratt Tyagi from Meerut, Dara Singh Prajapati from Muzaffarnagar, Shreepal Singh from Kairana and Rajendra Singh Solanki from Gautam Buddha Nagar. Nirmala Sitharaman dubs Karnataka’s claim on funds ‘utterly baseless’ Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on March 24 said that the claims of the Karnataka government that it has not received its due share of funds was “utterly baseless” and was not part of the final recommendations of the Finance Commission. Speaking at an event organised by the Thinkers’ Forum in Mysuru, Sitharaman said that all funds payable to Karnataka have been released but if the due process of an audited certificate has not been received by the Centre, then it cannot release the money. It would be released as and when the audited certificates are furnished, she added. “Tell me if the amount that is being claimed by the Karnataka government is part of the recommendation of the final report or not,” she added. “If it is not part of the final report then how do I give it,” she asked, remarking that baseless and wrong interpretations are being given to confuse the minds of the people. Sitharaman said Karantaka’s economy was a very flourishing one “till recently” but now the elected government in the State was accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of not giving them money to run their programmes. “If you did not have the money and budgetary provisions for it or had failed to work out the finances, why did you make the promise,” she asked. On the State government’s move to approach the Supreme Court and file a petition against the Union government for denying financial assistance for drought management, the Union Finance Minister said it was the right of every citizen of the country to approach the court for justice. Miffed at police, Budaun boys’ father sets bike on fire, attempts to kill self Vinod Kumar, the father of the two children from Budaun, who were killed by a barber in their house, set his bike on fire and tried to immolate himself, upset over the fact that the police have yet not been able to establish the motive behind the attack. He was stopped by the police. Two children were killed in the Baba colony area in Budaun on March 19. Vinod’s mother Munni Devi said it’s been six days since she lost her grandchildren but the police were yet to come up with a motive behind the cruelty. “It seems that the police are hiding something,” she said. Senior Superintendent of Police Alok Priyadarshi said Vinod was missing his children during the festival of Holi and set his bike on fire in rage. “Seeing their shoes, clothes and other festival items, he could not stop himself and set fire to his bike to vent his anger,” he said. After the incident, Sajid and Javed, both barbers, were identified as the assailants. While Sajid was killed in an encounter with police the same day, Javed surrendered at the Satellite Police Outpost of the Baradari Police Station in neighbouring Bareilly district on March 22. The Budaun district administration has ordered a magisterial inquiry into Sajid’s encounter. (Those who require assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts may contact Sanjivini, Society for Mental Health suicide prevention helpline 011-4076 9002 (10 a.m. to 7.30 p.m., Monday-Saturday). ‘Terrorist is a terrorist’ in any language; one should not allow terrorism to be excused or defended, says Jaishankar External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said on March 24 that “a terrorist is a terrorist” in any language and one should not allow terrorism to be excused or defended because of a different explanation of it. Jaishankar, currently on an official visit to Singapore, was interacting with the Indian community members there. Responding to a question on how Indian officials approach sensitive and linguistically different topics with their global counterparts, the Minister said that in diplomacy, different countries bring their own cultures, traditions and sometimes their language or concepts to debate. “It’s also natural that there will be different viewpoints. And what diplomacy is about is to find a way of reconciling it and coming to some kind of agreement,” he said. He said there were some issues when there is clarity and no confusion. Giving the example of terrorism, he said: “You can take it in any language, but a terrorist is a terrorist in any language.” “Never allow something like terrorism to be excused or defended because they’re using a different language or a different explanation,” he said, without referring to any country. To another question regarding India’s ties with Russia, he said that Russia is a country with which India has always had a positive relationship and both countries have taken extra care to look after each other’s interests, dismissing the notion that Moscow is drifting towards China. He said that India should look at its relationship with Russia or any other country from its perspective. “So, tell me has Russia helped us or harmed us? Has Russia at crucial moments contributed or obstructed? Going ahead, are there gains to be made from Russia or is it only damages which will come out?” he asked. “So, if I do my calculations from my perspective and my experiences, I will get the answer. And the answer in this case is that Russia is a country with which we have always had a positive relationship,” he said. “Both India and Russia have taken that extra care to look after each other’s interests. So, I think we should have that confidence as we go forward,” he said while answering a question. To a question on the U.S. presidential election in November and India’s equation with the country after that, Jaishankar said, “I prefer to be patient.” He expressed confidence that India can get along with whoever becomes the President of the U.S. IPL-17: RR vs LSG | Rajasthan Royals prevail over Lucknow Super Giants despite Rahul’s knock Rajasthan Royals won their match against Lucknow Super Giants by 20 runs, restricting LSG to 173/6 chasing a total of 194. LSG started on a disastrous note losing three wickets for 11 runs. They lost Quinton de Kock (4), Devdutt Padikkal (0) and Ayush Badoni (1) quickly but K.L. Rahul (58) and impact player Deepak Hooda (26) put on 49 runs for the fourth wicket. When Hooda’s wicket fell, LSG were 60 for 4 in 7.3 overs. Rahul and Nicholas Pooran (64 not out) took over the mantle then and scored fluently, stitching together a partnership of 85 runs. Losing Rahul at a crucial juncture put the brakes on the LSG’ chase. For the Royals, Trent Boult (2 for 35) at the beginning of the LSG innings, Sandeep Sharma (1 for 22) towards the end and Ravichandran Ashwin (1 for 35) were among the pick of the bowlers. Earlier for Rajasthan Royals, skipper Sanju Samson smashed an unbeaten 82 in 52 balls in their total of 193 for four. Samson led from the front and struck three fours and six sixes while adding 93 runs for the third wicket with Riyan Parag (43). In BriefIAU approves ‘Statio Shiv Shakti’ as name for Chandrayaan-3 landing site The International Astronomical Union working group for Planetary System Nomenclature has approved the name ‘Statio Shiv Shakti’ for the landing site of Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander. The approval was given on March 19, 2024. On August 26, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the point where the moon lander of Chandrayaan-3 touched down will be called ‘Shiv Shakti’. The citation for the name in the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature reads: “Compound word from Indian mythology that depicts the masculine (‘Shiva’) and feminine (‘Shakti’) duality of nature; Landing site of Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander”. IIT-Guwahati student held for pledge to join Islamic State The Assam Police detained a student of the Indian Institute of Technology-Guwahati after he had allegedly slipped out to join the terror group Islamic State (IS). The fourth-year student from Okhla in Delhi had pledged support to IS through emails and social media posts and said he planned to join the terror group. He disappeared from the IIT-G campus soon after his posts went viral. The police caught him March 23 evening in Hajo, about 30 km northwest of Guwahati. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 24 March 2024 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( Lok Sabha polls 2024 | INDIA parties to hold ‘maha rally’ in Delhi on March 31 The [Opposition INDIA bloc will hold a “maha rally” at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on March 31]( to “safeguard the country’s interests and democracy”, AAP leader Gopal Rai said on March 24. “We will hold a ‘maha rally’ at Ramlila Maidan on March 31 against what is happening in the country. The top leadership of the INDIA bloc will participate in the event,” Mr. Rai, the AAP’s Delhi convenor, said. “Democracy and the country are in danger. All the INDIA-bloc parties will hold this ‘maha rally’ to safeguard the country’s interests and democracy,” Mr. Rai added. Arvinder Singh Lovely, Congress Delhi unit chief, alleged that Opposition parties are not being given a level playing field and highlighted the freezing of his party’s accounts and the arrest of a Chief Minister. “The March 31 ‘maha rally’ will not only be a political one but a call to save the country’s democracy and raise voices against the BJP-led Centre,” he added. Lok Sabha polls 2024 | JD(U), BSP announce candidates list The Janata Dal (United) and the Bahujan Samaj Party have released their list of candidates for the Lok Sabha elections. The [JD(U) released a list of 16 candidates providing a caste break-up]( in a reflection of the impact that last year’s caste census has had on Bihar’s politics. Of the 16 candidates, six are from Other Backward Classes and five from Extremely Backward Classes, which together comprise 63% of Bihar’s population; three candidates are from the upper castes, which make up only 15% of the population; and one each from mahadalit and Muslim communities. Two candidates are women. In the seat-sharing deal within the State’s ruling National Democratic Alliance, the BJP was allotted 17 seats, while the JD(U) got 16, and the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) got five. The Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha were each allocated one seat of the State’s 40 Lok Sabha seats. The JD(U) has decided to drop two sitting MPs: Kavita Singh from Siwan and Sunil Kumar Pintu from Sitamarhi. Two turncoats — Lovely Anand, who recently joined the JD(U) from the Rashtriya Janata Dal; and Vijay Lakshmi Kushwaha, the wife of Ramesh Singh Kushwaha, the former RLM MLA from Ziradei, who has returned to the JD(U) — have been given tickets from the Sheohar and Siwan Lok Sabha seats respectively. In Uttar Pradesh, the [BSP ticket distribution focussed on Muslim outreach with seven out of 16 candidates hailing from the minority community](. The BSP fielded Mohammad Irfan Saifi from Moradabad, Mujahid Hussain from Amroha, Majid Ali from Saharanpur, Zeeshan Khan from Rampur, Anis Ahmad Khan alias Phool Babu from Pilibhit, Shaukat Ali from the Sambhal, Abid Ali from Aonla, Surendra Singh Pal from Nagina, Girish Chandra Jatav from Bulandshahr, Dodram Verma from Shahjahanpur, Vijendra Singh from Bijnor, Praveen Bansal from Baghpat, Devratt Tyagi from Meerut, Dara Singh Prajapati from Muzaffarnagar, Shreepal Singh from Kairana and Rajendra Singh Solanki from Gautam Buddha Nagar. Nirmala Sitharaman dubs Karnataka’s claim on funds ‘utterly baseless’ Union Finance Minister [Nirmala Sitharaman on March 24 said that the claims of the Karnataka government that it has not received its due share of funds was “utterly baseless”]( and was not part of the final recommendations of the Finance Commission. Speaking at an event organised by the Thinkers’ Forum in Mysuru, Sitharaman said that all funds payable to Karnataka have been released but if the due process of an audited certificate has not been received by the Centre, then it cannot release the money. It would be released as and when the audited certificates are furnished, she added. “Tell me if the amount that is being claimed by the Karnataka government is part of the recommendation of the final report or not,” she added. “If it is not part of the final report then how do I give it,” she asked, remarking that baseless and wrong interpretations are being given to confuse the minds of the people. Sitharaman said Karantaka’s economy was a very flourishing one “till recently” but now the elected government in the State was accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of not giving them money to run their programmes. “If you did not have the money and budgetary provisions for it or had failed to work out the finances, why did you make the promise,” she asked. On the State government’s move to approach the Supreme Court and file a petition against the Union government for denying financial assistance for drought management, the Union Finance Minister said it was the right of every citizen of the country to approach the court for justice. Miffed at police, Budaun boys’ father sets bike on fire, attempts to kill self [Vinod Kumar, the father of the two children from Budaun, who were killed by a barber in their house, set his bike on fire and tried to immolate himself]( upset over the fact that the police have yet not been able to establish the motive behind the attack. He was stopped by the police. Two children were killed in the Baba colony area in Budaun on March 19. Vinod’s mother Munni Devi said it’s been six days since she lost her grandchildren but the police were yet to come up with a motive behind the cruelty. “It seems that the police are hiding something,” she said. Senior Superintendent of Police Alok Priyadarshi said Vinod was missing his children during the festival of Holi and set his bike on fire in rage. “Seeing their shoes, clothes and other festival items, he could not stop himself and set fire to his bike to vent his anger,” he said. After the incident, Sajid and Javed, both barbers, were identified as the assailants. While Sajid was killed in an encounter with police the same day, Javed surrendered at the Satellite Police Outpost of the Baradari Police Station in neighbouring Bareilly district on March 22. The Budaun district administration has ordered a magisterial inquiry into Sajid’s encounter. (Those who require assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts may contact Sanjivini, Society for Mental Health suicide prevention helpline 011-4076 9002 (10 a.m. to 7.30 p.m., Monday-Saturday). ‘Terrorist is a terrorist’ in any language; one should not allow terrorism to be excused or defended, says Jaishankar External Affairs Minister [S. Jaishankar said on March 24 that “a terrorist is a terrorist” in any language and one should not allow terrorism to be excused or defended because of a different explanation]( of it. Jaishankar, currently on an official visit to Singapore, was interacting with the Indian community members there. Responding to a question on how Indian officials approach sensitive and linguistically different topics with their global counterparts, the Minister said that in diplomacy, different countries bring their own cultures, traditions and sometimes their language or concepts to debate. “It’s also natural that there will be different viewpoints. And what diplomacy is about is to find a way of reconciling it and coming to some kind of agreement,” he said. He said there were some issues when there is clarity and no confusion. Giving the example of terrorism, he said: “You can take it in any language, but a terrorist is a terrorist in any language.” “Never allow something like terrorism to be excused or defended because they’re using a different language or a different explanation,” he said, without referring to any country. To another question regarding India’s ties with Russia, he said that [Russia is a country with which India has always had a positive relationship]( and both countries have taken extra care to look after each other’s interests, dismissing the notion that Moscow is drifting towards China. He said that India should look at its relationship with Russia or any other country from its perspective. “So, tell me has Russia helped us or harmed us? Has Russia at crucial moments contributed or obstructed? Going ahead, are there gains to be made from Russia or is it only damages which will come out?” he asked. “So, if I do my calculations from my perspective and my experiences, I will get the answer. And the answer in this case is that Russia is a country with which we have always had a positive relationship,” he said. “Both India and Russia have taken that extra care to look after each other’s interests. So, I think we should have that confidence as we go forward,” he said while answering a question. To a question on the U.S. presidential election in November and India’s equation with the country after that, Jaishankar said, “I prefer to be patient.” He expressed confidence that India can get along with whoever becomes the President of the U.S. IPL-17: RR vs LSG | Rajasthan Royals prevail over Lucknow Super Giants despite Rahul’s knock [Rajasthan Royals won their match against Lucknow Super Giants by 20 runs, restricting LSG to 173/6 chasing a total of 194.]( LSG started on a disastrous note losing three wickets for 11 runs. They lost Quinton de Kock (4), Devdutt Padikkal (0) and Ayush Badoni (1) quickly but K.L. Rahul (58) and impact player Deepak Hooda (26) put on 49 runs for the fourth wicket. When Hooda’s wicket fell, LSG were 60 for 4 in 7.3 overs. Rahul and Nicholas Pooran (64 not out) took over the mantle then and scored fluently, stitching together a partnership of 85 runs. Losing Rahul at a crucial juncture put the brakes on the LSG’ chase. For the Royals, Trent Boult (2 for 35) at the beginning of the LSG innings, Sandeep Sharma (1 for 22) towards the end and Ravichandran Ashwin (1 for 35) were among the pick of the bowlers. Earlier for Rajasthan Royals, skipper Sanju Samson smashed an unbeaten 82 in 52 balls in their total of 193 for four. Samson led from the front and struck three fours and six sixes while adding 93 runs for the third wicket with Riyan Parag (43). In Brief IAU approves ‘Statio Shiv Shakti’ as name for Chandrayaan-3 landing site The [International Astronomical Union working group for Planetary System Nomenclature has approved the name ‘Statio Shiv Shakti’ for the landing site of Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander](. The approval was given on March 19, 2024. On August 26, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the point where the moon lander of Chandrayaan-3 touched down will be called ‘Shiv Shakti’. The citation for the name in the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature reads: “Compound word from Indian mythology that depicts the masculine (‘Shiva’) and feminine (‘Shakti’) duality of nature; Landing site of Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander”. IIT-Guwahati student held for pledge to join Islamic State The [Assam Police detained a student of the Indian Institute of Technology-Guwahati after he had allegedly slipped out to join the terror group Islamic State]( (IS). The fourth-year student from Okhla in Delhi had pledged support to IS through emails and social media posts and said he planned to join the terror group. He disappeared from the IIT-G campus soon after his posts went viral. The police caught him March 23 evening in Hajo, about 30 km northwest of Guwahati. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. 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