The Evening Wrap: India, Russia discussing ways to ‘bypass’ sanctions, says Russian Foreign Minister

Russia and India are looking at ways to “bypass” the sanctions imposed by the United States, European Union and partners, visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday after talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. Lavrov, who flew into Delhi from Beijing a week after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi before his departure. “Prime Minister reiterated his call for an early cessation of violence, and conveyed India’s readiness to contribute in any way to the peace efforts,” Modi’s office said. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Jaishankar and Lavrov specifically discussed India’s concerns over the impact of the Ukraine crisis on its economy, noting that it was “important” to ensure that their economic and technological contacts remain “stable and predictable”. “EAM [Jaishankar] underlined that as a developing economy, global volatility in different domains is of particular concern to India. It is important for both countries that their economic, technological and people to people contacts remain stable and predictable,” a statement by the MEA said. Lavrov arrived on Thursday after visits by senior officials of the U.S., EU and the U.K. this week, all of whom cautioned India about attempting to circumvent the financial sanctions put in place by them, by using a non-dollar “rupee rouble” payment mechanism. They also expressed the hope that India would not further increase its oil intake from Russia, which has already grown in the past few weeks. While the MEA made no response to the comments, including a direct warning from U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor that there would be “consequences” to such actions, Lavrov lashed out at the “West” for attempting to “blackmail” India and other countries that are not part of the sanctions, like China. “I have no doubt that a way would be found to bypass the artificial impediments which illegal unilateral sanctions by the West create. This relates also to the area of military and technical cooperation. We have no doubt that the solution would be found and respective ministries are working,” Lavrov said at a press conference after his bilateral talks, making it clear that Russia is moving ahead with both India and China on the use of national currencies rather than the dollar-based international systems, and these efforts would be “intensified”. Earlier this week, a team from Russia’s central bank met Reserve Bank of India officials to try and iron out payment issues and identification of banks immunised from the sanctions network. “The reason for moving to national currencies is the absolutely unreliable nature of our western counterparts. We don’t want to depend on the system which could be closed anytime, whose masters can steal your money overnight,” Lavrov remarked, referring to the decision to eject Russian banks from the global SWIFT payment system, and to freeze Russia’s foreign reserves. Defending Russia’s actions in Ukraine, Lavrov claimed there was no “war”, only a “special operation” conducted on military infrastructure, with an attempt to avoid civilian casualties. UN OHCHR figures put the number of civilians killed until March 31 above 3,100. In his opening remarks at the bilateral talks held at Hyderabad House, Jaishankar said the meeting took place “in a difficult international environment”. “India, as you are aware, has always been in favour of resolving differences and disputes through dialogue and diplomacy,” he said in an oblique reference to the Russian war in Ukraine. The MEA statement said that Jaishankar also stressed the principles of “respect for international law, U.N. Charter, sovereignty and territorial integrity of states.” In response, Lavrov praised the Indian government for not paying heed to “western attempts” to link all international issues to the Ukraine situation, and for seeing the crisis in the “entirety” of the situation. Both delegations included the officials dealing with Afghanistan and Iran, Zamir Kabulov and Joint Secretary J.P. Singh. The MEA statement added that Lavrov briefed Jaishankar about the latest developments. In his public comments, Lavrov observed that countries like Russia, India and China would not bow to pressure from the West, and that the India-Russia partnership would not change in the face of any pressure. “Those who try to implement such approaches do not understand the national identities of those countries with which they try to speak using ultimatums and blackmail.” In first reported airstrike by Kyiv on Russian soil, fuel depot bombed in Belgorod Ukrainian helicopters have bombed a fuel storage depot in western Russia sparking a huge fire, the regional governor said Friday, in the first reported air strike by Kyiv on Russian soil. The announcement came on the 37th day of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine, with thousands killed and more than 10 million displaced in the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. In a possible hamper to the peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian officials which resumed via video, Moscow warned that the helicopter attack on the fuel depot would hamper negotiations. After over a month of a military campaign that has reduced parts of Ukraine to rubble, Moscow said in peace talks earlier this week it would scale back attacks on the capital Kyiv and the city of Chernigiv. The strike in the Russian town of Belgorod marked the first time Russia has reported a Ukrainian airstrike on its territory since the conflict began. “There was a fire at the petrol depot because of an air strike carried out by two Ukrainian army helicopters, which entered Russian territory at a low altitude,” Belgorod region governor Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on messaging app Telegram. Two employees at the storage facility were injured in the fire, he said in another post. Some 170 firefighters were battling to put out the enormous blaze, which started around 6 am (0300 GMT), the emergencies ministry said. A massive fire was raging, with black and white smoke billowing overhead, a video released by the ministry showed. Russian energy giant Rosneft, which owns the facility, said it had evacuated staff from the premises. Long lines of cars waited at filling stations but the governor urged residents not to panic buy, saying there was enough petrol. “There aren’t any problems with fuel in the region and there won’t be any,” Gladkov said. Belgorod lies around 40 km from Russia’s border with Ukraine and some 80 km from the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, which has been pummelled by Russian forces since Moscow sent troops to Ukraine on February 24. Anil Deshmukh, Sachin Vaze sent to CBI custody A special court in Mumbai on Friday granted the CBI custody of former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh, his personal assistant Kundan Shinde, and suspended police officer Sachin Vaze in an alleged case of corruption. The central agency on March 31 had moved an application seeking the transfer the trio’s custody from the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The CBI stepped in after the Bombay High Court on April 5, 2021 directed a preliminary inquiry against the Nationalist Congress Party leader after former police commissioner of Mumbai Param Bir Singh levelled allegations about Deshmukh giving orders to Vaze to collect ₹100 crore from bars and restaurants. Deshmukh was arrested on November 2, 2021 by the ED and is currently lodged at the Arthur Road Jail. Vaze was arrested on March 13 after a bomb scare outside industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence and is lodged at the Taloja Central Jail. The Bombay High Court will hear Deshmukh’s bail plea filed on merits on April 8. His application states that the allegations of money laundering and extortion against him are based on statements of some persons who themselves are accused of various offence. Earlier on January 18, a special PMLA court rejected Deshmukh’s bail plea and noted that: “Prima facie there is sufficient evidence to hold that the accused was involved in money laundering case.” As per the ED’s chargesheet, “Anil Deshmukh took the wrong advantage of his position since 1992. He made a lot of money and property through illegal means. The illegally earned money was used in 13 companies. These are either owned by his sons or his close associates.” Delhi High Court seeks status report on attack outside CM Kejriwal’s residence The Delhi High Court on Friday ordered the police to submit a status report on the investigation into the alleged attack and vandalism outside the residence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal during a protest against his remarks on the movie The Kashmir Files. A Bench of Acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Navin Chawla directed the Delhi police to explain the “bandobast” (security arrangement) at the Chief Minister’s residence, noting that it was inadequate to control the “unruly crowd” that had gathered on Wednesday. “We saw the video. It is an unruly crowd. Some took law into their hands. There is element of fear sought to be created. That is evident. Police force was inadequate and was outnumbered,” the Bench observed. The court, which was hearing a petition by AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj seeking the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident, allowed the Delhi police to submit its status report in a sealed cover. During the hearing, the police, represented by Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain, said that it had taken cognisance of the incident and registered an FIR. Jain said that all the evidence, including the CCTV footage from cameras around the Chief Minister’s residence, as well as the arterial roads, would be preserved. Jain said the police was taking all steps to address the safety concerns and that eight persons had already been arrested in the case. Bhardwaj, in his petition, alleged that the attack and vandalisation appeared to have been carried out with Delhi police’s “tacit complicity.’” The petition has also sought directions to Delhi police and Ministry of Home Affairs for ensuring the security of the Chief Minister and his residence in future. “On March 30, 2022, several BJP goons, in the garb of a protest, launched an attack on the official residence of the Delhi CM,” the plea said. “Videos and photographs show that these goons casually walked through the security cordon [maintained by Delhi police], kicked and broke the boom barrier, broke the CCTVs cameras with ‘lathis’, threw paint on the gate of the residence and almost climbed over the gate, while Delhi police personnel simply looked on, doing little to stop the protesters,” the plea said. “In this case, the violence was especially egregious as it was directed towards the Delhi CM and his family. It was meant to subdue, by the use of force, the highest elected official in NCT of Delhi and therefore the elected government of Delhi. This was a direct attack on democracy,” the plea added. The plea said that those who were charged with protection of the Delhi CM, that is, police, completely abdicated their duty, without any regard for the fact that they were protecting an elected constitutional functionary and the fact that he was given Z+ security by the police themselves. Bhardwaj has sought for the constitution of an SIT headed by a retired Judge to undertake an independent, fair and time-bound criminal investigation into the attack, including the role of police officers who were responsible for maintaining the security cordon outside the Chief Minister’s residence. Govt doubles gas price to record levels; CNG rates may go up The government on March 31 more than doubled the price of natural gas that is used to produce electricity, make fertilisers, turned into CNG, and piped to household kitchens for cooking, on the back of a spike in global energy prices. The price of gas produced from old, regulated fields, such as the nation’s largest gas field of Bassein of ONGC, will rise to a record high of $6.10 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) from the current $2.90 per mmBtu, according to the oil ministry’s Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC). The new price, which is likely to result in a hike in CNG and piped cooking gas rates, will be for six months beginning April 1. Petrol and diesel prices have been raised nine times in the last 10 days, totalling ₹6.4 per litre while cooking gas LPG rates too have gone up by ₹50 per cylinder. The latest gas price hike will further fuel inflation. The rate applicable to newer and difficult fields such as ones of Reliance Industries Ltd in the deep-sea KG-D6 block will get $9.92 per mmBtu for April-September as compared to the current $6.13 per mmBtu, the PPAC notification said. These are the highest prices ever paid to Indian gas producers. Lifting of AFSPA from some areas not satisfactory: Irom Sharmila Irom Sharmila, who fasted for about 16 years to demand the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958, has said that the withdrawal of the Act in a selective manner from some northeastern States is “not satisfactory”. She was speaking to the local Tom TV channel. The Union government has lifted the AFSPA from areas under nine police stations in Manipur. Meanwhile, Renu Takhellambam, family member of a victim of an alleged fake encounter, and Babloo Loitongbam, executive director of advocacy group Human Rights Alert, said that the government should sanction the prosecution of armed personnel said to be involved in most of the alleged 1,528 fake encounter killings. The cases have been dragging on in several courts and in the Supreme Court. Takhellambam and Loitongbam said that almost all the cases have been documented. They also recalled that the Supreme Court has examined six cases of alleged fake encounter cases. One victim was a 12-year-old student in from Thoubal district. An enraged SC judge was reported to have commented, “How can a 12-year-old boy be a terrorist?” Sharmila, who has since married and lives in Bengaluru with her husband and the twin daughters, said on Friday that when the Congress government lifted the AFSPA from six Assembly segments in 2004, other activists had not found the gesture “satisfactory”. The latest lifting of the Act was an attempt to deceive people since it has been revoked in some areas only, she said. Sharmila contested an Assembly seat in Thoubal district in 2017 but lost to veteran politician Okram Ibobi. After the stunning defeat, she vanished from public life. She has not returned to Manipur since her marriage. Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren said that the people of the northeast thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and all other BJP leaders for lifting the AFSPA. In view of the law and order situation in some pockets, complete withdrawal of the AFSPA could not be done now, he said, adding, “However, the Manipur Government shall continue to demand the withdrawal of the Act from the entire State.” In brief Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said in the Rajya Sabha on Friday that the government would form a committee on minimum support price (MSP) as promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November 2021 as soon as it received names of representatives from the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM). Responding to a question by DMK’s M. Shanmugam during the Question Hour, Tomar said the government was committed to setting up the committee. The Prime Minister made the promise while announcing the withdrawal of the three farm laws that farmers had been protesting against for over a year. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow [logo] The Evening Wrap 01 APRIL 2022 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( India, Russia discussing ways to ‘bypass’ sanctions: Russian Foreign Minister Russia and India are looking at ways to “bypass” the sanctions imposed by the United States, European Union and partners, visiting [Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said]( on Friday after talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. Lavrov, who flew into Delhi from Beijing a week after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi before his departure. “Prime Minister reiterated his call for an early cessation of violence, and conveyed India’s readiness to contribute in any way to the peace efforts,” Modi’s office said. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Jaishankar and Lavrov specifically discussed India’s concerns over the impact of the Ukraine crisis on its economy, noting that it was “important” to ensure that their economic and technological contacts remain “stable and predictable”. [Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in New Delhi on April 1, 2022. Photo: Twitter/@mfa_russia via PTI] “EAM [Jaishankar] underlined that as a developing economy, global volatility in different domains is of particular concern to India. It is important for both countries that their economic, technological and people to people contacts remain stable and predictable,” a statement by the MEA said. Lavrov arrived on Thursday after visits by senior officials of the U.S., EU and the U.K. this week, all of whom cautioned India about attempting to circumvent the financial sanctions put in place by them, by using a non-dollar “rupee rouble” payment mechanism. They also expressed the hope that India would not further increase its oil intake from Russia, which has already grown in the past few weeks. While the MEA made no response to the comments, including a direct warning from U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor that there would be “consequences” to such actions, Lavrov lashed out at the “West” for attempting to “blackmail” India and other countries that are not part of the sanctions, like China. “I have no doubt that a way would be found to bypass the artificial impediments which illegal unilateral sanctions by the West create. This relates also to the area of military and technical cooperation. We have no doubt that the solution would be found and respective ministries are working,” Lavrov said at a press conference after his bilateral talks, making it clear that Russia is moving ahead with both India and China on the use of national currencies rather than the dollar-based international systems, and these efforts would be “intensified”. Earlier this week, a team from Russia’s central bank met Reserve Bank of India officials to try and iron out payment issues and identification of banks immunised from the sanctions network. “The reason for moving to national currencies is the absolutely unreliable nature of our western counterparts. We don’t want to depend on the system which could be closed anytime, whose masters can steal your money overnight,” Lavrov remarked, referring to the decision to eject Russian banks from the global SWIFT payment system, and to freeze Russia’s foreign reserves. Defending Russia’s actions in Ukraine, Lavrov claimed there was no “war”, only a “special operation” conducted on military infrastructure, with an attempt to avoid civilian casualties. UN OHCHR figures put the number of civilians killed until March 31 above 3,100. In his opening remarks at the bilateral talks held at Hyderabad House, Jaishankar said the meeting took place “in a difficult international environment”. “India, as you are aware, has always been in favour of resolving differences and disputes through dialogue and diplomacy,” he said in an oblique reference to the Russian war in Ukraine. The MEA statement said that Jaishankar also stressed the principles of “respect for international law, U.N. Charter, sovereignty and territorial integrity of states.” In response, Lavrov praised the Indian government for not paying heed to “western attempts” to link all international issues to the Ukraine situation, and for seeing the crisis in the “entirety” of the situation. Both delegations included the officials dealing with Afghanistan and Iran, Zamir Kabulov and Joint Secretary J.P. Singh. The MEA statement added that Lavrov briefed Jaishankar about the latest developments. In his public comments, Lavrov observed that countries like Russia, India and China would not bow to pressure from the West, and that the India-Russia partnership would not change in the face of any pressure. “Those who try to implement such approaches do not understand the national identities of those countries with which they try to speak using ultimatums and blackmail.” In first reported airstrike by Kyiv on Russian soil, fuel depot bombed in Belgorod [Ukrainian helicopters have bombed a fuel storage depot in western Russia]( sparking a huge fire, the regional governor said Friday, in the first reported air strike by Kyiv on Russian soil. The announcement came on the 37th day of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine, with thousands killed and more than 10 million displaced in the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. [This video grab taken from a handout footage released by the Russian Emergencies Ministry on April 1, 2022 shows firemen at work to extinguish a fire at a Rosneft fuel depot in the town of Belgorod, some 40 km from Russia’s border with Ukraine. Photo: Russian Emergencies Ministry via AFP] In a possible hamper to the peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian officials which resumed via video, Moscow warned that the helicopter attack on the fuel depot would hamper negotiations. After over a month of a military campaign that has reduced parts of Ukraine to rubble, Moscow said in peace talks earlier this week it would scale back attacks on the capital Kyiv and the city of Chernigiv. The strike in the Russian town of Belgorod marked the first time Russia has reported a Ukrainian airstrike on its territory since the conflict began. “There was a fire at the petrol depot because of an air strike carried out by two Ukrainian army helicopters, which entered Russian territory at a low altitude,” Belgorod region governor Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on messaging app Telegram. Two employees at the storage facility were injured in the fire, he said in another post. Some 170 firefighters were battling to put out the enormous blaze, which started around 6 am (0300 GMT), the emergencies ministry said. A massive fire was raging, with black and white smoke billowing overhead, a video released by the ministry showed. Russian energy giant Rosneft, which owns the facility, said it had evacuated staff from the premises. Long lines of cars waited at filling stations but the governor urged residents not to panic buy, saying there was enough petrol. “There aren’t any problems with fuel in the region and there won’t be any,” Gladkov said. Belgorod lies around 40 km from Russia’s border with Ukraine and some 80 km from the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, which has been pummelled by Russian forces since Moscow sent troops to Ukraine on February 24. Anil Deshmukh, Sachin Vaze sent to CBI custody A special court in Mumbai on Friday [granted the CBI custody of former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh]( his personal assistant Kundan Shinde, and suspended police officer Sachin Vaze in an alleged case of corruption. The central agency on March 31 had moved an application seeking the transfer the trio’s custody from the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The CBI stepped in after the Bombay High Court on April 5, 2021 directed a preliminary inquiry against the Nationalist Congress Party leader after former police commissioner of Mumbai Param Bir Singh levelled allegations about Deshmukh giving orders to Vaze to collect ₹100 crore from bars and restaurants. Deshmukh was arrested on November 2, 2021 by the ED and is currently lodged at the Arthur Road Jail. Vaze was arrested on March 13 after a bomb scare outside industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence and is lodged at the Taloja Central Jail. The Bombay High Court will hear Deshmukh’s bail plea filed on merits on April 8. His application states that the allegations of money laundering and extortion against him are based on statements of some persons who themselves are accused of various offence. Earlier on January 18, a special PMLA court rejected Deshmukh’s bail plea and noted that: “Prima facie there is sufficient evidence to hold that the accused was involved in money laundering case.” As per the ED’s chargesheet, “Anil Deshmukh took the wrong advantage of his position since 1992. He made a lot of money and property through illegal means. The illegally earned money was used in 13 companies. These are either owned by his sons or his close associates.” Delhi High Court seeks status report on attack outside CM Kejriwal’s residence The Delhi High Court on Friday [ordered the police to submit a status report]( the investigation into the alleged attack and vandalism outside the residence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal during a protest against his remarks on the movie The Kashmir Files. A Bench of Acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Navin Chawla directed the Delhi police to explain the “bandobast” (security arrangement) at the Chief Minister’s residence, noting that it was inadequate to control the “unruly crowd” that had gathered on Wednesday. “We saw the video. It is an unruly crowd. Some took law into their hands. There is element of fear sought to be created. That is evident. Police force was inadequate and was outnumbered,” the Bench observed. The court, which was hearing a petition by AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj seeking the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident, allowed the Delhi police to submit its status report in a sealed cover. During the hearing, the police, represented by Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain, said that it had taken cognisance of the incident and registered an FIR. Jain said that all the evidence, including the CCTV footage from cameras around the Chief Minister’s residence, as well as the arterial roads, would be preserved. Jain said the police was taking all steps to address the safety concerns and that eight persons had already been arrested in the case. Bhardwaj, in his petition, alleged that the attack and vandalisation appeared to have been carried out with Delhi police’s “tacit complicity.’” The petition has also sought directions to Delhi police and Ministry of Home Affairs for ensuring the security of the Chief Minister and his residence in future. “On March 30, 2022, several BJP goons, in the garb of a protest, launched an attack on the official residence of the Delhi CM,” the plea said. “Videos and photographs show that these goons casually walked through the security cordon [maintained by Delhi police], kicked and broke the boom barrier, broke the CCTVs cameras with ‘lathis’, threw paint on the gate of the residence and almost climbed over the gate, while Delhi police personnel simply looked on, doing little to stop the protesters,” the plea said. “In this case, the violence was especially egregious as it was directed towards the Delhi CM and his family. It was meant to subdue, by the use of force, the highest elected official in NCT of Delhi and therefore the elected government of Delhi. This was a direct attack on democracy,” the plea added. The plea said that those who were charged with protection of the Delhi CM, that is, police, completely abdicated their duty, without any regard for the fact that they were protecting an elected constitutional functionary and the fact that he was given Z+ security by the police themselves. Bhardwaj has sought for the constitution of an SIT headed by a retired Judge to undertake an independent, fair and time-bound criminal investigation into the attack, including the role of police officers who were responsible for maintaining the security cordon outside the Chief Minister’s residence. Govt doubles gas price to record levels; CNG rates may go up The [government on March 31 more than doubled the price of natural gas]( that is used to produce electricity, make fertilisers, turned into CNG, and piped to household kitchens for cooking, on the back of a spike in global energy prices. The price of gas produced from old, regulated fields, such as the nation’s largest gas field of Bassein of ONGC, will rise to a record high of $6.10 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) from the current $2.90 per mmBtu, according to the oil ministry’s Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC). The new price, which is likely to result in a hike in CNG and piped cooking gas rates, will be for six months beginning April 1. Petrol and diesel prices have been raised nine times in the last 10 days, totalling ₹6.4 per litre while cooking gas LPG rates too have gone up by ₹50 per cylinder. The latest gas price hike will further fuel inflation. The rate applicable to newer and difficult fields such as ones of Reliance Industries Ltd in the deep-sea KG-D6 block will get $9.92 per mmBtu for April-September as compared to the current $6.13 per mmBtu, the PPAC notification said. These are the highest prices ever paid to Indian gas producers. Lifting of AFSPA from some areas not satisfactory: Irom Sharmila Irom Sharmila, who fasted for about 16 years to demand the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958, has [said that the withdrawal of the Act in a selective manner from some northeastern States is “not satisfactory”](. She was speaking to the local Tom TV channel. The Union government has lifted the AFSPA from areas under nine police stations in Manipur. Meanwhile, Renu Takhellambam, family member of a victim of an alleged fake encounter, and Babloo Loitongbam, executive director of advocacy group Human Rights Alert, said that the government should sanction the prosecution of armed personnel said to be involved in most of the alleged 1,528 fake encounter killings. The cases have been dragging on in several courts and in the Supreme Court. Takhellambam and Loitongbam said that almost all the cases have been documented. They also recalled that the Supreme Court has examined six cases of alleged fake encounter cases. One victim was a 12-year-old student in from Thoubal district. An enraged SC judge was reported to have commented, “How can a 12-year-old boy be a terrorist?” Sharmila, who has since married and lives in Bengaluru with her husband and the twin daughters, said on Friday that when the Congress government lifted the AFSPA from six Assembly segments in 2004, other activists had not found the gesture “satisfactory”. The latest lifting of the Act was an attempt to deceive people since it has been revoked in some areas only, she said. Sharmila contested an Assembly seat in Thoubal district in 2017 but lost to veteran politician Okram Ibobi. After the stunning defeat, she vanished from public life. She has not returned to Manipur since her marriage. Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren said that the people of the northeast thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and all other BJP leaders for lifting the AFSPA. In view of the law and order situation in some pockets, complete withdrawal of the AFSPA could not be done now, he said, adding, “However, the Manipur Government shall continue to demand the withdrawal of the Act from the entire State.” In brief Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said in the Rajya Sabha on Friday that [the government would form a committee on minimum support price (MSP]( as promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November 2021 as soon as it received names of representatives from the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM). Responding to a question by DMK’s M. Shanmugam during the Question Hour, Tomar said the government was committed to setting up the committee. The Prime Minister made the promise while announcing the withdrawal of the three farm laws that farmers had been protesting against for over a year. 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