The Evening Wrap: PM laments ‘politics’ over Pulwama

The Hindu Newsletter - Here are the latest updates and the big news stories to follow today [The Hindu Logo]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Youtube]( [Linkedin]( [Instagram]( Saturday 31, October 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. PM laments ‘politics’ over Pulwama attack Barely a few days after Pakistan’s Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhary admitted, in the National Assembly, his country’s role in the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel lost their lives, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that the truth about the attack has come out in the neighboring country’s parliament. [Modi also lamented that some forces indulged in “dirty politics” for political gains]( and said that all should refrain from politics, which can affect the morale of the country’s security forces. “The real face of such people has been exposed after the truth was accepted in the Parliament of our neighbouring country,” he said, addressing Ekta Parade at Statue of Unity, Kevadiaya, on the occasion of Sardar Patel’s birth anniversary. “The country can never forget that some people were not saddened at the sacrifice of the security personnel during the Pulwama attack. At that time, these people were only doing politics...I request them not to do such politics in the interest of the nation,” Modi said. Kamal Nath moves SC against EC’s decision to revoke his ‘star campaigner’ status Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath has [moved the Supreme Court]( challenging the Election Commission’s decision to revoke his ‘star campaigner’ status for violations of the model code during the campaign for the by-polls in 28 assembly constituencies in the State. Senior lawyer and Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha said that the senior Congress leader has challenged the ECI’s decision on various grounds and an urgent hearing on the plea would be sought. The poll panel on Friday took note of alleged breach of “ethical and dignified behaviour” and revoked the “star campaigner” status of the Congress leader. While the political party pays for the expenditure of a star campaigner, the candidate pays for the expenditure of other campaigners. In the order, the poll panel said, ”...for repeated violation of Model Code of Conduct and for completely disregarding the advisory issued to him, the Commission hereby revokes the status of leader of political party (Star Campaigner) of Kamal Nath, Ex-Chief Minister, Madhya Pradesh, with immediate effect for the current Bye-elections of Legislative Assembly of Madhya Pradesh.” It said no permission will be granted by authorities to Nath as a star campaigner. “However, if any campaign is done by Kamal Nath from now onwards, the entire expenditure related to travel, stay and visit will be completely borne by the candidate in whose constituency he carries out campaigning,” it said. Sitharaman wanted me out of Finance Ministry, says former Finance Secretary Garg Subhash Chandra Garg, the former Finance Secretary who was shunted out of the Finance Ministry within three weeks of Modi-2.0 government’s first Budget last year, on Saturday [alleged that new Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman got him transferred out](. Garg, who took voluntary retirement soon after being moved from the Finance Ministry – where he handled the Department of Economic Affairs – to the Power Ministry, said Sitharaman, unlike her predecessor Arun Jaitley, had “a very different personality and knowledge endowment”. Garg said he “did not share a good and productive working relationship” with Sitharaman, who came to the Finance Ministry “with some pre-conceived notions about me”. [Subhash Chandra Garg. File]Subhash Chandra Garg. File “She did not seem to have confidence in me. She was not quite comfortable working with me as well,” he said, adding that differences over whether RBI should give surplus as dividend to the government, and dealing with problems of non-banks had surfaced within months of her takeover. Sitharaman wanted him out in June 2019, ahead of the July 5 Budget presentation, he said, but did not say why her request wasn’t immediately accepted by the government. Garg was transferred out on July 24, 2019, as Secretary, Ministry of Power, and he applied for voluntary retirement within half an hour of receiving the order. “Mrs. Sitharaman asked for and insisted on my transfer from the Ministry of Finance in June 2019 itself, within one month of her taking over as FM,” wrote Garg, who exited the government after serving the mandatory notice period on October 31, 2019. Rajasthan government introduces Bills to negate impact of Centre’s farm laws The Rajasthan government on Saturday [introduced three bills in the Assembly]( to negate the impact of the farm laws enacted by the Centre recently. The move comes after the Punjab Assembly earlier this month adopted a resolution against the farm laws and unanimously passed four Bills to counter the Centre’s contentious legislations. Rajasthan’s Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shanti Dhariwal introduced the Essential Commodities (Special Provisions and Rajasthan Amendment) Bill 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services (Rajasthan Amendment) Bill 2020, and the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation and Rajasthan Amendment) Bill 2020. He also introduced the Code of Procedure (Rajasthan Amendment) Bill 2020 on the first day of the Assembly session. A number of provisions to protect the interests of farmers, including sale or purchase of a crop under farming agreement on a price equal or greater than minimum support price and imprisonment of three to seven years for harassment of farmers, have been included in the Bills. France church attack: Assailant’s family demands answers A third suspect is in French custody on Saturday in connection with an Islamic extremist knife attack that killed three people in a Nice church, as the family of the suspected Tunisian assailant [demanded to see video footage of what happened](. Investigators in France, Tunisia and Italy are trying to determine the motive of chief suspect Ibrahim Issaoui and whether he acted alone and whether he premeditated Thursday’s attack on the Notre Dame Basilica. Authorities have labeled the attack, which took place amid growing tensions around cartoons published by a French newspaper mocking the Prophet Muhammad, an act of Islamist terrorism. Issaoui, who transited through Italy last month en route to France, is in critical condition in a French hospital after being wounded by police as they arrested him. [Yassine Issaoui, holds a picture of his brother and Nice church attack chief suspect Ibrahim Issaoui, in Sfax, Tunisia on October 30, 2020.]Yassine Issaoui, holds a picture of his brother and Nice church attack chief suspect Ibrahim Issaoui, in Sfax, Tunisia on October 30, 2020. A 35-year-old man who had met with Issaoui in Nice was arrested overnight, a judicial official said Saturday. A 47-year-old man who had met with Issaoui the night before the attack was already in custody, bringing the number of detained suspects to three. Their connection to the attack remains unclear. A previously unknown Tunisian extremist group claimed responsibility for the attack, and Tunisian and French authorities are investigating whether the claim is legitimate. In Issaoui’s hometown of Sfax, his family expressed shock and appealed for peace. But they also expressed bewilderment that this young man who drank alcohol and showed no outward signs of radicalism would flee to France and attack a church. “We want the truth about how my son carried out this terrorist attack. I want to see what the surveillance cameras showed. I will not give up my son’s rights outside the country. I want my son, dead or alive,” his mother Gamra told AP. His father and brother Wissem said that if Issaoui indeed carried out the attack, he should face justice. “We are Muslims, we are against terrorism, we are poor. Show me that my brother committed the attack and judge him as a terrorist,” Wissem said. “If he was the attacker, he will take his responsibility.” He had had small-time run-ins with the law as a teen, but nothing that alerted Tunisian authorities to possible extremist leanings. That meant that when he was served an expulsion order from Italy, he was basically free to go where he pleased. Free Covid-19 vaccine promise not violation of poll code: EC The BJP’s promise of providing free coronavirus vaccine in its manifesto for the Bihar assembly polls is [not violative of the provisions of the model code](, the Election Commission has held. Responding to a complaint by RTI activist Saket Gokhale, the commission said it has found no violation of the provisions of the model code in the issue. “...no violation of any of the provisions of Model Code of Conduct has been observed...,” the commission said. Gokhale had claimed that the promise is discriminatory and a misuse of powers by the central government during elections. Actor Sean Connery, who played James Bond, passes away [Scottish movie legend Sean Connery](, who shot to international stardom as British agent James Bond and went on to dominate the silver screen for four decades, has died aged 90. Connery was raised in near poverty in the slums of Edinburgh and worked as a coffin polisher, milkman and lifeguard before his body-building hobby helped launch an acting career that made him one of the world's biggest stars. [ Sean Connery is seen as James Bond in ‘Never Say Never Again.’ ] Sean Connery is seen as James Bond in ‘Never Say Never Again.’ He will be remembered first as British agent 007, the character created by novelist Ian Fleming and immortalised by Connery in films starting with “Dr. No” in 1962. As Bond, his debonair manner and wry humour in foiling flamboyant villains and cavorting with beautiful women belied a darker, violent edge, and he crafted a depth of character that set the standard for those who followed him in the role. Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments The number of reported [coronavirus cases from India]( stood at 81,79,893 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 1,22,092. India’s Covid-19 [case fatality rate (CFR) fell below 1.5%]( on Saturday, the Union Health Ministry said, crediting the Centre-led strategy of ‘test, trace, track and treat’ for keeping coronavirus-related deaths low and within manageable numbers. Deaths per million population in the country were at a very low level of 88, it said. In Brief: The Tamil Nadu government on Saturday announced that [schools (classes IX to XII), colleges, research institutions and other education institutions will reopen]( from November 16. Cinema theatres will open up for business from November 10. Amusement and entertainment parks and museums will also be allowed from November 10, the government said. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said that his government will [bring in a law to curb ‘love jihad’](. He was speaking in reference to an observation by the Allahabad High Court that conversion just for the sake of marriage is not valid. “The Allahabad HC has said that religious conversion isn’t necessary for marriage. Government will also work to curb ‘love jihad’ and we will make a law. I warn those who conceal identity and disrespect our women that if you don’t mend your ways, your ‘Ram naam satya’ (chants during funeral) journey will begin,” Adityanath said. The month of October was the [coldest in 58 years in the national capital](, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD) data. The mean minimum temperature in October this year was 17.2 degrees Celsius, the lowest since 1962, when it was 16.9 degrees Celsius, the IMD said. Normally, Delhi records a mean minimum temperature of 19.1 degrees Celsius in October. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. 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