The Evening Wrap: Ashok Gehlot attacks Pilot, calls him a “worthless person”

The Hindu Newsletter - Here are the biggest news stories of the day Monday 20, 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. Ashok Gehlot attacks Pilot, calls him a “worthless person” In a no-holds-barred attack on his former deputy, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot today described Sachin Pilot as a “worthless person” who had backstabbed his party. “Rajasthan was the only state where for seven years no demand was made to change the president of the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC). We knew that nothing is happening here. We knew he is nikamma [worthless] and nakara [idle], still we did not question this in the interests of the party,” he told reporters. Gehlot went on to add, “He [Sachin Pilot] was conspiring from past six months with the BJP’s support. Nobody believed me when I used to say that a conspiracy is going on to topple the government. Nobody knew that a person with such an innocent face, good command over English, someone who has impressed the entire nation’s media, would do such a thing. He created internal differences, still we did not question him. But I’m not here to sell vegetables, I am the CM.” Pilot offered me ₹35 crore to join BJP, alleges Cong MLA [Sachin Pilot. File ]Sachin Pilot. File  Meanwhile, Rajasthan Congress MLA Giriraj Singh Malinga has alleged that Sachin Pilot offered him ₹35 crore to switch to the BJP, but he rejected the offer. Malinga also said he had informed Gehlot about the secret offer. “I had a talk with Sachinji. He offered me money to join the BJP, but I refused saying I will not join the saffron party,” Malinga told the media. The legislator added that he would not join the saffron party even after resigning as an MLA. “How will I face the people of my area? What will I tell them?” he said. Pilot responded by saying he was “saddened but not surprised” at the allegation and said he would take "appropriate and strictest possible legal action against the MLA". “I am saddened but not surprised to be at the receiving end of such baseless and vexatious allegations being levelled against me. This is done solely to malign me and to stifle the legitimate concerns that I had raised against the party leadership of the state, as a member and MLA of INC. This attempt further aims at defaming me and attacking my credibility,” Pilot said. In a related development, Union ‘Jal Shakti’ Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has been asked by the Rajasthan police to appear for questioning in connection with investigations into an alleged conspiracy to topple the Rajasthan government. Shekhawat confirmed that he had received the police notice and has been asked to submit voice samples and a statement. Oxford Covid-19 vaccine triggers immune response [ File photo shows a subject receives a shot in the first-stage safety study clinical trial of potential vaccine for COVID-19. Photo used for representation purpose only. ] File photo shows a subject receives a shot in the first-stage safety study clinical trial of potential vaccine for COVID-19. Photo used for representation purpose only.  In a new research paper published in The Lancet, Oxford University scientists have said that their experimental vaccine, in an early trial, produced a dual immune response in hundreds of people aged 18 to 55. The trials showed that the injection led to them making antibodies and T-cells that can fight the coronavirus. “Preliminary results from a phase ½ trial involving 1,077 healthy adults found that vaccine induced strong antibody and T cell immune responses up to day 56 of the ongoing trial. These responses may be even greater after a second dose, according to a sub-group study of 10 participants,” The Lancet tweeted. While these results are promising, they are still only preliminary. The effects of the vaccine were “measured by the amount of antibodies and T-cells it produced in the blood of the volunteers – not in any response to the virus itself,” The Guardian reported. Meanwhile, according to media reports, the Serum Institute of India (SEI) has entered into an agreement with the British-Swedish pharma giant AstraZeneca to manufacture and supply 1 billion doses of the Oxford vaccine, which is being developed in collaboration with AstraZeneca. SC asks UP to “consider” having retired SC judge on panel probing Dubey encounter The Supreme Court asked the Uttar Pradesh government to expand the committee probing the [encounter deaths of history-sheeter Vikas DubeyÂ](and his associates. Reminding the Yogi Adityanath government of its responsibility to arrest, detain and give a fair trial to an accused in a court of law, it asked the state to consider including a former SC judge and a retired police officer. The apex court also observed that it “was a failure of the institution” that “a person like Vikas Dubey got the bail despite so many cases” against him. “You must understand that as a State government, you should be capable of arresting, detention and trial of an accused till he is found innocent or guilty”, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sharad A. Bobde said, addressing the counsel for the U.P. government. The three-judge Bench led by the CJI [found “substance” in arguments that there have been “as many as 6,126 police encountersÂ](in which 122 persons have been killed” in the State since Adityanath took over as Chief Minister. Senior advocate Sanjay Parikh, appearing for the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), drew the court’s attention to the encounter death statistics from the State. “There is substance in what Parikh is saying... What is at stake is not one incident [of Dubey] in Uttar Pradesh, what is at stake is the whole system,” the CJI stressed. The court, however, declined to spare a sitting SC judge for the probe committee. “We cannot spare a sitting top court judge to become part of the inquiry committee,” it said. Reopening schools: States remain undecided An exclusive report in The Hindu today says more than half the States and Union Territories, including Covid-19 hotspots Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, [have not yet decided on a date for reopening schools](. This was conveyed to the Centre in a recent meeting. The remaining States are split between those willing to reopen in August, which includes Delhi and Bihar, and others who will not open until September, such as Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development has also asked the States to gauge parents’ opinions on the issue and revert by Monday, offering options of reopening in August, September or October. Rahul Gandhi slams PM over handling of China border tensions [ Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi. File ] Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi. File  In [one of his most direct attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi](, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday said Modi had come to power with the help of a “fabricated strongman image” but now that image of a leader with “a 56-inch chest” was under attack from China. He alleged that while the Chinese were sitting in our territory, Modi had publicly said they were not, because “he is worried about his image and defending his image”. Stating that Modi’s “fake strongman image” was now “India’s biggest weakness”, the former Congress chief said if the Prime Minister allowed “the Chinese to understand that they can manipulate him because of his image, the Indian Prime Minister will no longer be worth anything for India”. BJP president J.P. Nadda was quick to hit back, terming the video as an “attempt to politicise defence and foreign policy” due to “one dynasty’s desperation to wash their past sins of 1962 and weaken India.” In a series of tweets, Nadda rubbished Gandhi’s contention that the government’s handling of China was found wanting. Not mincing words, Nadda said, “We saw yet another (failed) edition of ‘Project RG Relaunch’ today.” Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments The number of coronavirus cases reported from India stood at 11,45,653 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 27,966. India reported its biggest single-day jump in coronavirus infections on Monday, adding 40,425 new cases. The toll rose by 681 to 27,497. The recovery rate stood at 62.61%. The Kerala government has made it mandatory for all migrant workers entering the state to undergo rapid antigen assay-based tests for the coronavirus, followed by 14 days of room quarantine. Meanwhile, pharma major Mylan said it has commercially launched the generic version of Remdesivir drug under the brand name ‘Desrem’ in India. It is priced at ₹4,800 per 100 mg vial. In Brief:  Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a host of other VIPs, including Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar, will attend an August 5 ceremony for laying of the foundation stone for the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the temple trust said. A 40 kg silver brick will be laid as the foundation stone by the Prime Minister. The PTI reports that three-day-long Vedic rituals will be held before the main ceremony, which will begin on August 3. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. Today's Top Picks [alt_text]( [Watch | Who is Roshni Nadar Malhotra?]( [alt_text]( [Matric pass, college dropout posing as doctors, ran hospital in Hyderabad for three years]( [alt_text]( [Lockdown brings spotlight on online gaming addiction]( [alt_text]( [Google tests earthquake, tsunami detection solutions with submarine cables]( You are receiving this email because you are a user of [thehindu.com]( If you do not wish to receive any such emails, [unsubscribe here.](mailto:rm-0b4yrmm4bf2f90kauhrxfebysa8hk68@newsalert.thehindu.com?subject=Unsubscribe&body=You will be unsubscribed from our mailing list.) To ensure you continue to receive emails from The Hindu in your inbox, please add newsletters.th@newsalert.thehindu.com to your contact. 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