The Evening Wrap: Farmers firm on demands

The Hindu Newsletter - Here are the latest updates and the big news stories to follow today [The Hindu Logo]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Youtube]( [Linkedin]( [Instagram]( Tuesday 29, December 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. Farmers write to Centre, insist that repeal of reform laws shall be first on the agenda of Dec 30 talks Protesting farmer unions on Tuesday wrote to the Centre on the talks scheduled between the two sides tomorrow, [saying the discussion will only be on the modalities of repealing the three legislations]( and providing a legal guarantee on the MSP. The government has invited the protesting farmers for the sixth round of talks on Wednesday. In its letter on Tuesday, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, which represents 40 farmer unions, said the discussion will be only on modalities for the repeal of three farm laws and a legal guarantee on MSP. The Morcha further said the agenda of the meeting should also include amendments to be made and notified in the Commission for the Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Ordinance, 2020 to exclude farmers from its penal provisions. Through the letter, the Morcha also formally accepted the government's invitation for the dialogue. Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has [offered to set up free WiFi hotspots at the Singhu border]( for the protesting farmers. Addressing a press conference, AAP leader Raghav Chadha said on Tuesday, “We want the farmers to stay in touch with their family. We have identified a few spots to install the WiFi hotspots. This is an initiative of Arvind Kejriwal and the party.” Farmers from various parts of the country have been camping at different border points of Delhi for over a month now to demand repeal of the three agriculture laws, which were pushed through Parliament in September amid strong protests by Opposition parties. Rajinikanth opts out of entering politics, citing health, Covid-19 Tamil superstar Rajinikanth on Tuesday [announced that he will not be starting a political party]( and entering the electoral fray as his health condition does not permit him to engage in full-scale political activity amidst a pandemic. The actor was recently admitted to Apollo Hospitals in Hyderabad due to severe fluctuations in his blood pressure and advised bed rest for a week. Rajinikanth had on December 3 said that he would announce on December 31 the date for the launch of his proposed political party and float it in January next. [ A fan of Rajinikanth gestures outside the actor’s residence in Chennai on December 29, 2020 after he cancelled his plans to enter politics. ] A fan of Rajinikanth gestures outside the actor’s residence in Chennai on December 29, 2020 after he cancelled his plans to enter politics. However, on Tuesday, he tweeted a letter opting out of politics and apologised to his fans and Rajini Makkal Mandram (RMM) members for disappointing them with his decision. The announcement has taken many by surprise, with the BJP hoping that even if not through a formal political party, [the star would throw his influence behind the NDA in Tamil Nadu]( ahead of Assembly polls early next year. Speaking to The Hindu, C T Ravi, the BJP’s national general secretary in charge of Tamil Nadu said Rajinikanth’s decision was his private affair but the NDA was still hoping for a declaration of support from the latter, despite the cancelled plans for a political party. “As a member of the BJP, it is my hope that his considerable influence is with us,” Ravi said. The BJP had hoped that the charismatic actor would add his considerable popularity to its efforts while many in the rival camps questioned his political moorings and ideological leanings. The party has tied up with the ruling AIADMK for the upcoming Assembly polls, and while it hasn’t on its own managed much traction on the ground, it was counting on Rajinikanth’s massive fan following to introduce a third element in the largely bipolar polity of the State. That hope is now over. Karnataka Legislative Council deputy chairman found dead on rail track Karnataka Legislative Council Deputy Chairman [S.L. Dharme Gowda was found dead]( on a rail track in Chikkamagaluru district of Karnataka in the early hours of Tuesday, with police sources claiming he died by suicide, PTI reported. The body was found on a rail track near Gunasagara in Kadur taluk, they said. Dharme Gowda, 64, who was an MLC from JD(S), is survived by his wife, son and a daughter. His brother, S L Bhoje Gowda, is also an MLC. According to sources, Gowda had left his farmhouse at Sakharayapattana in a private car on Tuesday evening but did not return home, following which his family members and staff started searching for him. He had reportedly asked his driver to stay at a distance and went alone on the pretext of talking to someone, the sources said, adding that a suicide note has been recovered. Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa expressed shock over the incident, terming it “unfortunate”. Mansukh Vasava, senior BJP MP from Gujarat’s Bharuch quits party Gujarat BJP’s senior-most parliamentarian and former Union Minister [Mansukh Vasava on Tuesday resigned from the party]( in protest against a MoEFCC (Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change) notification declaring 121 villages of Narmada district as ‘eco-sensitive zone’ in his constituency, Bharuch. He claimed that this notification would “affect farmers and local tribals”. The prominent tribal leader said he would resign from the Lok Sabha in the budget session of Parliament. Vasava, who belongs to the Vajpayee-Advani era of the BJP, has been a Lok Sabha member since 1998. He decided to resign from the party a week after he wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the withdrawal of the Ministry notification. Vasava has been very vocal about the rights of the tribal people in Bharuch and Narmada districts . Last week, he had written to Modi, seeking his intervention to withdraw the Ministry order in the “interest of farmers and local tribals.” In his resignation letter to State BJP president C.R. Paatil, Vasava said, “I am resigning so that the image of the party is not damaged because of my mistakes. I have been a loyal worker of the party. I will also submit my resignation to the Lok Sabha speaker during the budget session of the parliament.” He posted the letter on his social media accounts besides sharing it with the local press. U.K. flight ban likely to be extended There could be a short extension of the ban on flights from the U.K. until the government gets a “fuller picture” of the new strain confirmed from as many as six passengers who arrived in India last week, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Hardeep Puri said on Tuesday. “Once the genome sequencing is completed and we have a fuller picture, that will give us the confidence to open up flights again,” Puri said at a press conference. The ban on Indian and British airlines providing services to the UK was imposed last week and is in force till December 31. [ Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. ] Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. On whether there would be a similar ban on flights from other countries such as South Africa where the strain has been confirmed, the Minister said that the government was “monitoring” the situation. India win second Test against Australia by eight wickets, level series India recorded a win for the ages under an inspirational Ajinkya Rahane, [beating Australia by eight wickets]( on Tuesday in the second Test to level the four-match series 1-1. [ India's Ravichandran Ashwin, right, celebrates after bowling Australia's Josh Hazlewood during play on day four of the second cricket test between India and Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020. ] India's Ravichandran Ashwin, right, celebrates after bowling Australia's Josh Hazlewood during play on day four of the second cricket test between India and Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020. The target of 70 wasn’t a big one, but for a team that was bowled out for its all-time lowest score of 36 only 10 days back, it could have been tricky. Shubman Gill (35 not out) and skipper Rahane (27 not out) knocked off the runs in 15.5 overs to complete the victory. French fashion designer Pierre Cardin passes away French fashion designer [Pierre Cardin, hailed for his visionary creations but also for bringing stylish clothes to the masses, died]( Tuesday aged 98. Cardin, who was born to a low-income family in northern Italy but became a France-based fashion superstar, died in a hospital in Neuilly in the west of Paris, his family said. “It is a day of great sadness for all our family. Pierre Cardin is no more,” the statement said. After a lifetime spanning a century, he had left France and the world a “great unique artistic heritage” and not only in fashion, it added. [Pierre Cardin]Pierre Cardin Born into poverty in 1922 near Venice in northern Italy, his family emigrated to France when he was a small child. “Italian by birth, Pierre Cardin never forgot his origins while bringing unconditional love to France,” said his family. He grew up in the French industrial town of Saint Etienne and was apprenticed to a tailor in Vichy at the age of 17, already specialising in women’s suits. Moving to Paris, he designed the mesmerising sets and costumes for the film Beauty and the Beast with poet, artist and director Jean Cocteau in 1947. After a stint with Christian Dior, he set up his own fashion label in 1950. Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments The [number of reported coronavirus cases from India]( stood at 1,02,43,099 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 1,48,465. A total of [samples of 6 U.K.-returnees have been found to be positive with the variant of SARS- CoV-2 virus]( reported from U.K. “3 in NIMHANS, Bengaluru, 2 in CCMB, Hyderabad and 1 in NIV, Pune,” said information released by the Health Ministry. It added that all these persons have been kept in single room isolation in designated health care facilities by respective state governments. Preliminary [results from a cohort study]( found no statistically significant difference in hospitalisation and 28-day case fatality between cases with the new coronavirus variant (VOC 201212/01) and wild-type comparator cases. There was also no significant difference in the likelihood of reinfection between variant cases and the comparator group, said a second technical briefing report by Public Health England. Meanwhile, Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) on Tuesday said it has [introduced a new 24x7 Covid-19 testing facility](, which gives test results in a just 13 minutes at a cost of ₹ 4,500. Since its launch on December 15, CSMIA has witnessed an average of 30-35 such tests per day, it said in a release. A total of 400 express tests had been carried out at the airport till December 28, and these included passengers who had connecting flights to destinations outside Maharashtra, it said. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. 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