The Evening Wrap: 6 deaths due to heavy rains in Maharashtra today

Incessant rain over the last 24 hours wreaked havoc in several parts of Maharashtra, where at least six persons died and 12 were injured in rain-related incidents while several houses in low-lying areas were inundated, prompting hundreds of people being evacuated to safety zones as a flood-like situation prevailed. 3 people are feared to be trapped in a bungalow in Lavasa after a landslide incident. As per the State Disaster Situation Report, 2 persons died due to lightening in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur, three died due to electrocution in Pune’s Deccan Gymkhana area and one died due to landslide in Pune’s Maval tehsil. According to Pune district administration authorities, the Maval landslide victim was a restaurant staffer. From May 15 till July 25, 2024, at least 94 people have died in different parts of Maharashtra due to monsoon related calamities such as lightning strike, land slide, tree fall, flood or structural collapse and four people went missing and 145 people have been injured. As many as 241 people have been evacuated so far in the State. At least 306 animals have died, and eight animals are reported injured. In Pune, the Fire Brigade rescued and moved nearly 160 people marooned in houses and buildings in low-lying areas to safety zones with over 200 firefighters and officers of the fire brigade deployed in these operations. Authorities said it had responded to 16 incidents where water had flooded residential and commercial buildings since midnight. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said if the need arises, the rain-hit people will be airlifted in Pune, where incessant downpours have claimed four lives and inundated residential colonies and houses in low-lying areas. Shinde said he has spoken to the Pune district collector and civic body chiefs in the city and its neighbouring Pimpri Chinchwad, an industrial township. He has also spoken to officials of the Army and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to seek their help in the evacuation. Senior Maharashtra Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar said the Eknath Shinde government must immediately announce a financial package for farmers who have suffered crop losses due to heavy rains lashing the State. Considering the heavy rainfall, the Department of Education in Thane, Raigad, Pune, Palghar, Navi Mumbai and Mumbai declared holiday for schools and colleges. Public advisory was issued from civic department urging people to stay indoors. With the lakes supplying water to the city filling up fast, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in Mumbai announced withdrawal of its earlier decision of 10% water cut from July 29. Due to heavy rains, water stock has reached 66.77%, and four of the seven lakes supplying water to Mumbai — Tulsi, Tansa, Vihar, and Modaksagar — are already overflowing, a BMC official said. The water stock in the lakes increased 61% between July 1 and July 25 and is expected to rise further as heavy rain continues in the catchment areas. Two trains from CSMT to Pune 12125 Pragati Express and 12123 Deccan Queen were cancelled on July 25. The local trains in Mumbai also suffered delay and speed due to low visibility. Railway tracks in Kurla and Ghatkopar were seen flooded. Due to heavy rainfall in Mumbai, flight operations saw significant disruptions at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. Due to poor visibility, there was a brief suspension of flight operations at 10:36 a.m. Flight operations were resumed at 10:55 a.m. after visibility was recorded at 1000m and Runway Visual Range mat 1200m. Airlines issued travel advisory whereas, Air India announced to offer full refunds or a one-time complimentary rescheduling for bookings confirmed for travel on Thursday. With the downpour continuing unabated virtually throughout the day, traffic was thrown off-kilter in Pune city and the rural parts of the district, with several bridges spanning the Mula-Mutha river in Pune city being submerged as nearly 45,000 cusecs of water were discharged from the Khadakwasla dam – the city’s water lifeline, said district administration authorities. Catchment areas in Pune’s Velhe, Mulshi and Bhor tehsils received heavy rain since July 24 night. Deputy Chief Minister and District Guardian Minister Ajit Pawar visited the Pune Police Commissionerate to assess the ongoing relief and rescue operations prompted by heavy rainfall. Speaking to reporters, Mr. Pawar said that the State government has urged Karnataka to increase the water discharge from Lal Bahadur Shastri dam to 3 lakh cusec from the current outflow of 2.5 lakh cusec to avoid flooding in Sangli and Kolhapur districts. The water storage of Koyna dam in Maharashtra’s Satara district increased by six thousand million cubic feet and it is already 75% filled, he said. The Indian Army, in a statement, said, “The Army column comprising of infantry troops, engineer task force, and medical personnel, is fully equipped with rescue boats and essential healthcare services to assist the affected people. The Indian Air Force is also on standby for any likely contingencies and the Armed Forces are fully prepared and equipped to assist the civil administration.” Swach, the waste pickers’ collective in Pune, has announced a disruption in door-to-door waste collection for the coming days due to severe flooding affecting their homes. Over 600 waste pickers from the Patil Estate slums had to be evacuated, leaving their belongings behind. The IMD on July 25 updated their weather alert for Mumbai from yellow to orange to red alirt to be continued till 8.30am on July 26. Red alert was also issued for Thane, Raigad, Palghar and Pune with heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places with extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places. Power of State Legislatures to levy tax on mines, quarries cannot be limited by Parliament’s MMDR Act; royalty is not tax, says Supreme Court A significant judgment delivered in a 8:1 ratio by a nine-judge Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud on July 25 held that the power of State Legislatures to tax mining lands and quarries is not limited by the Parliament’s Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act of 1957. The judgment frees States from the restrictions of the Centre and is in tune with the federalist principles of governance. The majority judgment pronounced by Chief Justice Chandrachud said that State Legislatures derive their power to tax mines and quarries under Article 246 read with Entry 49 (tax on lands and buildings) in the State List of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution. Justice B.V. Nagarathna gave a dissenting opinion. “Mineral bearing lands fall within the description of ‘lands’ in Entry 49,” CJI Chandrachud held. The majority judgment said the Parliament, through the MMDR Act, cannot limit the power of the State to legislate on the taxation of mines and quarries within their jurisdiction. The Centre, during the arguments, had argued that Entry 50 in the State List had allowed the Parliament to impose “any limitations” on taxes on mineral rights through laws relating to mineral development, in this case, the MMDR Act. However, the Chief Justice responded in the judgment to the argument by noting that Entries 50 and 49 of the State List “deal with distinct subject matters and operate in different fields”. The limitations imposed by the Parliament in a law like the MMDR Act, which related to mineral development, did not operate on or influence State taxation of mining lands under Entry 49 in the State List merely for the reason that “there is no specific stipulation in the Constitution to that effect”. “Entry 50 of List II does not constitute an exception... The power to tax mineral rights vests in the State Legislatures. The Parliament does not have the legislative competence to tax mineral rights, with Entry 54 of the Union List (Regulation of mines and minerals development declared by parliamentary law to be expedient in the public interest) being only a general entry. Power to tax mineral rights is enumerated in List II. The Parliament cannot use its residuary powers with respect to that subject matters,” CJI Chandrachud held. The majority verdict further clarified that royalty paid by those who lease mines to the government is not tax. “Royalty is not a tax. Royalty is a contractual consideration paid by the mining lessee to the lessor for enjoyment of mineral rights,” CJI Chandrachud noted. The majority verdict interpreted that the liability to pay a royalty originated out of the contractual conditions in the mining lease. Even arrears cannot be deemed to be a payment of tax. The tax payable to the State Government depends on the “yield” of the mineral-bearing land. The yield of such a land is based on the royalty payable or the quantity of minerals produced from mining it, the court said. The judgment came in a batch of 86 appeals filed by different State Governments, mining companies and public sector undertakings. The other judges in the Bench include Justices Hrishikesh Roy, Abhay S. Oka, J.B. Pardiwala, Manoj Misra, Ujjal Bhuyan, Satish Chandra Sharma and Augustine George Masih. During the hearing, Attorney General R. Venkataramani, appearing for the Centre, had contended the Union had overriding powers with regard to taxing mines and minerals. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, also representing the Centre, had said the entire architecture of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act (MMDRA) is the limitation on the States’ legislative power to impose tax on minerals, and under the law, the Central Government has the power to fix royalty. “The MMDRA wholly occupies the field and provides for a complete code covering every aspect of ‘regulation’ and ‘development’ of mines and minerals, including any Government exaction/ imposition in relation to mines and minerals thereby necessarily limiting a State Legislature’s competence to impose any other levy beyond what is stipulated under MMDRA and the rules framed thereunder,” he had submitted. Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for Jharkhand, one of the petitioners, had submitted that royalty is not tax and States had the power to levy taxes on mines and minerals on the basis of Entries 49 and 50 of the State List. A battery of senior advocates like Harish Salve, Abhishek Singhvi, Arvind Dattar, A.K. Ganguly, Darius Khambata, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati and S.K. Bagaria appeared in the case. The case has its roots in a dispute between India Cement Ltd. and the Tamil Nadu Government. India Cement had secured a mining lease in Tamil Nadu and was paying royalty to the State Government. The State Government had imposed a cess in addition to royalty on India Cement, which moved the Madras High Court against the measure, contending that a cess on royalty meant a tax on royalty which was beyond the remit of the State Legislature. The Tamil Nadu Government had argued the cess was by way of land revenue and on mineral rights, which it was empowered to impose. A seven-judge Bench of the Supreme Court decided in favour of India Cement in 1989. It had ruled the Centre was the primary authority under the MMDRA with regard to regulating mines and mineral development. Over 80 more petitions were filed in the Supreme Court over the years, and since the India Cement matter was dealt with by a seven-judge Bench, the matter was referred to a nine-judge Bench to decide whether royalty was a type of tax or there was an error in the India Cement case judgment. Two Rashtrapati Bhavan halls renamed as ‘Ganatantra Mandap’ and ‘Ashok Mandap’ President Droupadi Murmu has renamed two important halls at Rashtrapati Bhavan, with the Durbar Hall now to be called Ganatantra Mandap — which translates to Republic Hall — and Ashok Hall to be called Ashok Mandap. The Durbar Hall is the venue of key ceremonies and celebrations such as the presentation of national awards. “The term ‘Durbar’ refers to courts and assemblies of Indian rulers and the British. It lost relevance after India became a Republic, that is ‘Ganatantra’. The concept of ‘Ganatantra’ is deeply rooted in Indian society since the ancient times, making ‘Ganatantra Mandap’ an apt name for the venue,” said a Rashtrapati Bhavan statement. Asked about the move, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, “There is no concept of ‘Durbar’, but that of ‘Shahenshah’.” She has previously targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi by referring to him as a Shahenshah, which translates to ‘king of kings’, and has been used as a title by emperors. The Rashtrapati Bhavan statement noted that Ashok Hall was originally a ballroom. “The word ‘Ashok’ connotes someone who is ‘free from all sufferings’ or is ‘bereft of any sorrow’. Also, ‘Ashoka’ refers to Emperor Ashok, a symbol of unity and peaceful co-existence. The National Emblem of the Republic of India is the lion capital of Ashok from Sarnath. The word also refers to the Ashok tree which has deep significance in Indian religious traditions as well as arts and culture,” it said. Renaming both the halls will bring uniformity in language and remove the traces of anglicisation while still upholding the key values associated with the word ‘Ashok’, it added. Kamala Harris is unfit to rule, says Trump; describes her as radical left lunatic Unleashing a volley of attacks against his new campaign opponent Vice-President Kamala Harris, former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has said she is “unfit to rule” and described her as a “radical left lunatic” whom voters will reject in November. Trump, 78, launched a scathing attack on Harris as he took the stage for the first time to address an election rally on July 24 after Harris became the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party. Harris, 59, will be officially announced as the party’s presidential candidate at its Democratic National Convention in August. “For three and a half years, Lyin Kamala Harris has been the ultra-liberal driving force behind every single Biden catastrophe. She is a radical left lunatic who will destroy our country if she ever gets the chance to get into office. We’re not going to let that happen,” Trump said. Trump, who has previously called Biden “Sleepy Joe,” gave Harris the nickname “Lyin Kamala”. “I was supposed to be nice. They say something happened to me when I got shot. I became nice,” Trump said, referring to his brief call for national unity after the July 13 assassination attempt on him. “And when you’re dealing with these people, they’re very dangerous people. When you’re dealing with them, you can’t be too nice. You really can’t be. So if you don’t mind, I’m not going to be nice. Is that okay?” he asked his supporters amidst huge applause from the audience. Harris is the most liberal elected politician in American history, he said. “This November, the American people are going to tell her, ‘no thanks, Kamala’,” Trump said. “You’ve done a terrible job. You’ve been terrible at everything you’ve done. You’re ultra-liberal. We don’t want you here. We don’t want you anywhere. Kamala, you’re fired. Get out of here. You’re fired,” Trump said. Trump continued linking Harris to Biden and his policies and argued that both worked to cover up the President’s physical decline while in office. “She was appointed by this horrible president, this horrible guy...what they’ve done to our country is unthinkable,” he alleged. Trump told his cheering supporters that Harris lies. A vote for Harris is a vote for four more years of dishonesty, incompetence, weakness and failure, Trump said. Trump alleged everything Harris touches turns into a total disaster. He mentioned Harris as many as 45 times in his speech. “When Kamala Harris was sent to Europe to deter Russia from attacking Ukraine, how did that work out? Russia answered by launching the invasion just five days after she left. Putin laughed at her like she was nothing. She is nothing. She’s so bad for us. Everything Kamala touches turns into a total disaster. She’s destroyed San Francisco with the policies,” Trump said. Harris has worked as a prosecutor, first as the district attorney in San Francisco and later as the attorney general of California. “She’ll destroy our country if she’s elected. So we won’t let her be elected. We can’t let that happen. Unbelievably, despite all of the damage she’s caused, radical, liberal Kamala Harris now wants a promotion to deliver four more years of chaos. We’ve had the worst four years,” he said. In Brief: Around 6,700 Indian students have returned from Bangladesh in view of the violent clashes in that country. Bangladesh has been reeling under deadly clashes with protesting students demanding the Sheikh Hasina-led government to scrap a controversial job quota system. “So far 6,700 Indian students have returned from Bangladesh,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 25 July 2024 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [View in browser]( [More newsletters]( Six deaths in a day due to heavy rains in Maharashtra [Incessant rain over the last 24 hours wreaked havoc in several parts of Maharashtra]( where at least six persons died and 12 were injured in rain-related incidents while several houses in low-lying areas were inundated, prompting hundreds of people being evacuated to safety zones as a flood-like situation prevailed. 3 people are feared to be trapped in a bungalow in Lavasa after a landslide incident. As per the State Disaster Situation Report, 2 persons died due to lightening in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur, three died due to electrocution in Pune’s Deccan Gymkhana area and one died due to landslide in Pune’s Maval tehsil. According to Pune district administration authorities, the Maval landslide victim was a restaurant staffer. From May 15 till July 25, 2024, at least 94 people have died in different parts of Maharashtra due to monsoon related calamities such as lightning strike, land slide, tree fall, flood or structural collapse and four people went missing and 145 people have been injured. As many as 241 people have been evacuated so far in the State. At least 306 animals have died, and eight animals are reported injured. In Pune, the Fire Brigade rescued and moved nearly 160 people marooned in houses and buildings in low-lying areas to safety zones with over 200 firefighters and officers of the fire brigade deployed in these operations. Authorities said it had responded to 16 incidents where water had flooded residential and commercial buildings since midnight. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said if the need arises, the rain-hit people will be airlifted in Pune, where incessant downpours have claimed four lives and inundated residential colonies and houses in low-lying areas. Shinde said he has spoken to the Pune district collector and civic body chiefs in the city and its neighbouring Pimpri Chinchwad, an industrial township. He has also spoken to officials of the Army and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to seek their help in the evacuation. Senior Maharashtra Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar said the Eknath Shinde government must immediately announce a financial package for farmers who have suffered crop losses due to heavy rains lashing the State. Considering the heavy rainfall, the Department of Education in Thane, Raigad, Pune, Palghar, Navi Mumbai and Mumbai declared holiday for schools and colleges. Public advisory was issued from civic department urging people to stay indoors. With the lakes supplying water to the city filling up fast, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in Mumbai announced withdrawal of its earlier decision of 10% water cut from July 29. Due to heavy rains, water stock has reached 66.77%, and four of the seven lakes supplying water to Mumbai — Tulsi, Tansa, Vihar, and Modaksagar — are already overflowing, a BMC official said. The water stock in the lakes increased 61% between July 1 and July 25 and is expected to rise further as heavy rain continues in the catchment areas. Two trains from CSMT to Pune 12125 Pragati Express and 12123 Deccan Queen were cancelled on July 25. The local trains in Mumbai also suffered delay and speed due to low visibility. Railway tracks in Kurla and Ghatkopar were seen flooded. Due to heavy rainfall in Mumbai, flight operations saw significant disruptions at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. Due to poor visibility, there was a brief suspension of flight operations at 10:36 a.m. Flight operations were resumed at 10:55 a.m. after visibility was recorded at 1000m and Runway Visual Range mat 1200m. Airlines issued travel advisory whereas, Air India announced to offer full refunds or a one-time complimentary rescheduling for bookings confirmed for travel on Thursday. With the downpour continuing unabated virtually throughout the day, traffic was thrown off-kilter in Pune city and the rural parts of the district, with several bridges spanning the Mula-Mutha river in Pune city being submerged as nearly 45,000 cusecs of water were discharged from the Khadakwasla dam – the city’s water lifeline, said district administration authorities. Catchment areas in Pune’s Velhe, Mulshi and Bhor tehsils received heavy rain since July 24 night. Deputy Chief Minister and District Guardian Minister Ajit Pawar visited the Pune Police Commissionerate to assess the ongoing relief and rescue operations prompted by heavy rainfall. Speaking to reporters, Mr. Pawar said that the State government has urged Karnataka to increase the water discharge from Lal Bahadur Shastri dam to 3 lakh cusec from the current outflow of 2.5 lakh cusec to avoid flooding in Sangli and Kolhapur districts. The water storage of Koyna dam in Maharashtra’s Satara district increased by six thousand million cubic feet and it is already 75% filled, he said. The Indian Army, in a statement, said, “The Army column comprising of infantry troops, engineer task force, and medical personnel, is fully equipped with rescue boats and essential healthcare services to assist the affected people. The Indian Air Force is also on standby for any likely contingencies and the Armed Forces are fully prepared and equipped to assist the civil administration.” Swach, the waste pickers’ collective in Pune, has announced a disruption in door-to-door waste collection for the coming days due to severe flooding affecting their homes. Over 600 waste pickers from the Patil Estate slums had to be evacuated, leaving their belongings behind. The IMD on July 25 updated their weather alert for Mumbai from yellow to orange to red alirt to be continued till 8.30am on July 26. Red alert was also issued for Thane, Raigad, Palghar and Pune with heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places with extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places. Power of State Legislatures to levy tax on mines, quarries cannot be limited by Parliament’s MMDR Act; royalty is not tax, says Supreme Court A significant judgment delivered in a 8:1 ratio by a nine-judge Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud on July 25 held that the [power of State Legislatures to tax mining lands and quarries is not limited by the Parliament’s Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act]( of 1957. The judgment frees States from the restrictions of the Centre and is in tune with the federalist principles of governance. The majority judgment pronounced by Chief Justice Chandrachud said that State Legislatures derive their power to tax mines and quarries under Article 246 read with Entry 49 (tax on lands and buildings) in the State List of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution. Justice B.V. Nagarathna gave a dissenting opinion. “Mineral bearing lands fall within the description of ‘lands’ in Entry 49,” CJI Chandrachud held. The majority judgment said the Parliament, through the MMDR Act, cannot limit the power of the State to legislate on the taxation of mines and quarries within their jurisdiction. The Centre, during the arguments, had argued that Entry 50 in the State List had allowed the Parliament to impose “any limitations” on taxes on mineral rights through laws relating to mineral development, in this case, the MMDR Act. However, the Chief Justice responded in the judgment to the argument by noting that Entries 50 and 49 of the State List “deal with distinct subject matters and operate in different fields”. The limitations imposed by the Parliament in a law like the MMDR Act, which related to mineral development, did not operate on or influence State taxation of mining lands under Entry 49 in the State List merely for the reason that “there is no specific stipulation in the Constitution to that effect”. “Entry 50 of List II does not constitute an exception... The power to tax mineral rights vests in the State Legislatures. The Parliament does not have the legislative competence to tax mineral rights, with Entry 54 of the Union List (Regulation of mines and minerals development declared by parliamentary law to be expedient in the public interest) being only a general entry. Power to tax mineral rights is enumerated in List II. The Parliament cannot use its residuary powers with respect to that subject matters,” CJI Chandrachud held. The majority verdict further clarified that royalty paid by those who lease mines to the government is not tax. “Royalty is not a tax. Royalty is a contractual consideration paid by the mining lessee to the lessor for enjoyment of mineral rights,” CJI Chandrachud noted. The majority verdict interpreted that the liability to pay a royalty originated out of the contractual conditions in the mining lease. Even arrears cannot be deemed to be a payment of tax. The tax payable to the State Government depends on the “yield” of the mineral-bearing land. The yield of such a land is based on the royalty payable or the quantity of minerals produced from mining it, the court said. The judgment came in a batch of 86 appeals filed by different State Governments, mining companies and public sector undertakings. The other judges in the Bench include Justices Hrishikesh Roy, Abhay S. Oka, J.B. Pardiwala, Manoj Misra, Ujjal Bhuyan, Satish Chandra Sharma and Augustine George Masih. During the hearing, Attorney General R. Venkataramani, appearing for the Centre, had contended the Union had overriding powers with regard to taxing mines and minerals. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, also representing the Centre, had said the entire architecture of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act (MMDRA) is the limitation on the States’ legislative power to impose tax on minerals, and under the law, the Central Government has the power to fix royalty. “The MMDRA wholly occupies the field and provides for a complete code covering every aspect of ‘regulation’ and ‘development’ of mines and minerals, including any Government exaction/ imposition in relation to mines and minerals thereby necessarily limiting a State Legislature’s competence to impose any other levy beyond what is stipulated under MMDRA and the rules framed thereunder,” he had submitted. Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for Jharkhand, one of the petitioners, had submitted that royalty is not tax and States had the power to levy taxes on mines and minerals on the basis of Entries 49 and 50 of the State List. A battery of senior advocates like Harish Salve, Abhishek Singhvi, Arvind Dattar, A.K. Ganguly, Darius Khambata, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati and S.K. Bagaria appeared in the case. The case has its roots in a dispute between India Cement Ltd. and the Tamil Nadu Government. India Cement had secured a mining lease in Tamil Nadu and was paying royalty to the State Government. The State Government had imposed a cess in addition to royalty on India Cement, which moved the Madras High Court against the measure, contending that a cess on royalty meant a tax on royalty which was beyond the remit of the State Legislature. The Tamil Nadu Government had argued the cess was by way of land revenue and on mineral rights, which it was empowered to impose. A seven-judge Bench of the Supreme Court decided in favour of India Cement in 1989. It had ruled the Centre was the primary authority under the MMDRA with regard to regulating mines and mineral development. Over 80 more petitions were filed in the Supreme Court over the years, and since the India Cement matter was dealt with by a seven-judge Bench, the matter was referred to a nine-judge Bench to decide whether royalty was a type of tax or there was an error in the India Cement case judgment. Two Rashtrapati Bhavan halls renamed as ‘Ganatantra Mandap’ and ‘Ashok Mandap’ President Droupadi Murmu has renamed two important halls at Rashtrapati Bhavan, with the [Durbar Hall now to be called Ganatantra Mandap — which translates to Republic Hall — and Ashok Hall to be called Ashok Mandap](. The Durbar Hall is the venue of key ceremonies and celebrations such as the presentation of national awards. “The term ‘Durbar’ refers to courts and assemblies of Indian rulers and the British. It lost relevance after India became a Republic, that is ‘Ganatantra’. The concept of ‘Ganatantra’ is deeply rooted in Indian society since the ancient times, making ‘Ganatantra Mandap’ an apt name for the venue,” said a Rashtrapati Bhavan statement. Asked about the move, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, “There is no concept of ‘Durbar’, but that of ‘Shahenshah’.” She has previously targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi by referring to him as a Shahenshah, which translates to ‘king of kings’, and has been used as a title by emperors. The Rashtrapati Bhavan statement noted that Ashok Hall was originally a ballroom. “The word ‘Ashok’ connotes someone who is ‘free from all sufferings’ or is ‘bereft of any sorrow’. Also, ‘Ashoka’ refers to Emperor Ashok, a symbol of unity and peaceful co-existence. The National Emblem of the Republic of India is the lion capital of Ashok from Sarnath. The word also refers to the Ashok tree which has deep significance in Indian religious traditions as well as arts and culture,” it said. Renaming both the halls will bring uniformity in language and remove the traces of anglicisation while still upholding the key values associated with the word ‘Ashok’, it added. Kamala Harris is unfit to rule, says Trump; describes her as radical left lunatic Unleashing a volley of attacks against his new campaign opponent Vice-President Kamala Harris, former President and Republican presidential candidate [Donald Trump has said she is “unfit to rule”]( and described her as a “radical left lunatic” whom voters will reject in November. Trump, 78, launched a scathing attack on Harris as he took the stage for the first time to address an election rally on July 24 after Harris became the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party. Harris, 59, will be officially announced as the party’s presidential candidate at its Democratic National Convention in August. “For three and a half years, Lyin Kamala Harris has been the ultra-liberal driving force behind every single Biden catastrophe. She is a radical left lunatic who will destroy our country if she ever gets the chance to get into office. We’re not going to let that happen,” Trump said. Trump, who has previously called Biden “Sleepy Joe,” gave Harris the nickname “Lyin Kamala”. “I was supposed to be nice. They say something happened to me when I got shot. I became nice,” Trump said, referring to his brief call for national unity after the July 13 assassination attempt on him. “And when you’re dealing with these people, they’re very dangerous people. When you’re dealing with them, you can’t be too nice. You really can’t be. So if you don’t mind, I’m not going to be nice. Is that okay?” he asked his supporters amidst huge applause from the audience. Harris is the most liberal elected politician in American history, he said. “This November, the American people are going to tell her, ‘no thanks, Kamala’,” Trump said. “You’ve done a terrible job. You’ve been terrible at everything you’ve done. You’re ultra-liberal. We don’t want you here. We don’t want you anywhere. Kamala, you’re fired. Get out of here. You’re fired,” Trump said. Trump continued linking Harris to Biden and his policies and argued that both worked to cover up the President’s physical decline while in office. “She was appointed by this horrible president, this horrible guy...what they’ve done to our country is unthinkable,” he alleged. Trump told his cheering supporters that Harris lies. A vote for Harris is a vote for four more years of dishonesty, incompetence, weakness and failure, Trump said. Trump alleged everything Harris touches turns into a total disaster. He mentioned Harris as many as 45 times in his speech. “When Kamala Harris was sent to Europe to deter Russia from attacking Ukraine, how did that work out? Russia answered by launching the invasion just five days after she left. Putin laughed at her like she was nothing. She is nothing. She’s so bad for us. Everything Kamala touches turns into a total disaster. She’s destroyed San Francisco with the policies,” Trump said. Harris has worked as a prosecutor, first as the district attorney in San Francisco and later as the attorney general of California. “She’ll destroy our country if she’s elected. So we won’t let her be elected. We can’t let that happen. Unbelievably, despite all of the damage she’s caused, radical, liberal Kamala Harris now wants a promotion to deliver four more years of chaos. We’ve had the worst four years,” he said. In Brief: [Around 6,700 Indian students have returned from Bangladesh]( in view of the violent clashes in that country. Bangladesh has been reeling under deadly clashes with protesting students demanding the Sheikh Hasina-led government to scrap a controversial job quota system. “So far 6,700 Indian students have returned from Bangladesh,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. 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