The Evening Wrap: Sachin Pilot sacked from all posts

The Hindu Newsletter - The Evening Wrap: Sachin Pilot sacked from all posts Tuesday 14, July 2020 [alt_text]( The Evening Wrap [Here are the biggest news stories of the day]( [alt_text]( Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. We hope you are staying safe. Here are the big stories that you need to follow today: Sachin Pilot sacked from all posts There have been rapid developments in the Rajasthan story but [we’ll sum up the major hits for you](before exploring some other angles. Firstly, Sachin Pilot, the rebel in this case, has been sacked as Deputy Chief Minister and as state party chief, offices that he had held simultaneously. The move came soon after he failed to attend a second meeting of party MLAs, to which he had been invited to make peace. Minutes after his dismissal, Pilot tweeted, “The truth can be harassed but not defeated.” He is now scheduled to hold a press meet tomorrow at 10 am where he will presumably present his side of the story in more detail. Meanwhile, incumbent Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who seems to have, with great effort, foiled Pilot’s attempt to bring down his government, held [a Cabinet meeting at his residence at 7.30 pm]( and a meeting of the Council of Ministers at 8 pm today. [Randeep Surjewala announcing the decision to remove Sachin Pilot from party and CAbinet posts, in Jaipur.]Randeep Surjewala announcing the decision to remove Sachin Pilot from party and CAbinet posts, in Jaipur. One complication is that Gehlot’s numbers are far from straightforward. After three MLAs decamped this morning, the Congress now has the support of 100 MLAs, which is the half-way mark in the 200-member assembly. Yesterday, Gehlot had claimed the support of 106 MLAs. The ball is now in the BJP’s court. Given the new numbers, the party has said that Gehlot must face a floor test. It has also sent a senior leader, Om Mathur, to Jaipur. Which brings us to the final piece of the puzzle. In an analysis piece today, The Hindu’s political editor Nistula Hebbar writes that amidst all the drama “[the silence of former chief minister and BJP leader Vasundhara Raje has rung out loud]( and become a major factor in the BJP’s cautious, wait-and-watch attitude. Pilot is Raje’s junior by many years. She may not take kindly to his being made Rajasthan CM in case he joins the BJP and manages to bring down the Gehlot government. “The high command wants to induct Sachin Pilot into the BJP. He would be a great catch. But this is a State unit where Vasundhara Raje is a dominant figure and also has the guts to stand up to Delhi. In such a situation, it was felt that proceeding with caution was wise,” a source tells her. Sattankulam deaths: CBI gets custody of accused The CBI [has been granted custody, till July 16, of the five Sattankulam policemen]( involved in the [custodial deaths of traders]( P. Jayaraj and J. Benicks. The five accused were produced before the Madurai Chief Judicial Magistrate on Tuesday. Chief Judicial Magistrate T.V. Hemanandakumar granted CBI custody of the then Sattankulam inspector Sridhar, sub-inspectors Balakrishnan and Raghu Ganesh, head constable Murugan and constable Muthuraj. The CBI has to produce the accused before the court on July 16. Another round of LAC disengagement talks Indian and Chinese military commanders on Tuesday began a [crucial round of negotiations]( to finalise a time-bound disengagement process for friction points such as Pangong Tso and Depsang. The talks would also cover the modalities of [pulling back a large number of troops and weapons from rear bases along the Line of Actual Control]( (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, government sources said. The fourth round of Lt General-level talks began around 11:30 a.m. at a designated meeting point in Chushul on the Indian side of the LAC, the de-facto border between the two countries, the sources said. The Indian delegation is led by Lt Gen Harinder Singh, the commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps, while Major General Liu Lin, commander of the South Xinjiang military region, led the Chinese side. Varavara Rao admitted to JJ hospital Poet [Varavara Rao,]( 81, has been admitted to the neurology department of JJ Hospital after he started feeling giddiness. Rao, who is in Taloja Central Jail on charges related to the Bhima-Koregaon case, was admitted to the State-run hospital on the morning of July 13 for some tests. [Varavara Rao. File]Varavara Rao. File Sunil Ramanand, Additional Director General, Prisons confirmed to The Hindu that Rao “has been taken to JJ Hospital to undergo some tests and doctors will decide whether he needs to be admitted for any treatment.” Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments The number of coronavirus cases reported from India stood at 9,32,445 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 24,271. If you didn’t catch it yesterday, [this analysis]( by The Hindu’s data team gives more context to the numbers and shows that with cases rising steadily, there is no bend in sight for the India’s new infections curve. [ A woman reacts as a healthcare worker takes a swab from her to test for COVID-19 in Kolkata on July 10, 2020. ] A woman reacts as a healthcare worker takes a swab from her to test for COVID-19 in Kolkata on July 10, 2020. The Union Health Ministry said today that recovery rates in 20 states is more than the national average of 63%. Of these, Uttar Pradesh has a recovery rate of 64%, Odisha 67%, Assam 65%, Gujarat 70%, and Tamil Nadu, 65%. The Ministry added that 86% of India’s active coronavirus cases are confined to 10 states. Meanwhile, the Bihar government announced that the complete lockdown in the state will be extended from July 16 to July 31. In brief: The UK's mobile service providers will not be allowed to buy new Huawei 5G equipment after 31 December, and they must also remove all of Huawei’s 5G kits from their networks by 2027. The UK’s Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden made this announcement in the House of Commons. The move, coming on the heels of Washington’s security concerns over the Chinese’s firm’s 5G technology, could delay the roll-out of 5G in the UK by a year. The Supreme Court on Tuesday hinted at the possibility of setting up a commission, headed by a retired judge, to probe the UP police’s encounter killing of history-sheeter Vikas Dubey and his associates last week, as well as the murder of eight police officers at Bikru village in Kanpur. Responding to PILs seeking a court-monitored CBI or NIA probe into both incidents, the court gave the UP government till Thursday to tell the court “what kind of committee” it wanted. The case will be taken up next on July 20. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. 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