The Evening Wrap: Nitish Kumar takes oath as Bihar CM for 8th time, Tejashwi is his deputy

Janata Dal(U) leader Nitish Kumar took oath as Chief Minister for eighth time on Wednesday with Tejashwi Yadav as his Deputy in the cabinet again at state Raj Bhawan in Patna. Governor Phagu Chouhan administered the oath to them. Earlier in 2015, both had taken oath together for the same. But in 2017, Kumar played a turncoat and had joined hands with the BJP. The rest of the cabinet of ministers is likely to take oath later. “The oath of other ministers may happen in a day or two, before the inauspicious month of Kharwans which begins from August 12”, said a senior RJD leader. Leaders of all seven mahagathbandhan parties were present during the oath-taking ceremony along with the family members of Yadav. After taking the oath, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, while speaking to media persons, said that he would not be there (as CM) in 2024. “What will happen I do not know but it is certain that I’ll not be here in 2024”, said Kumar throwing enough indications that he would prefer to do national politics by that time. When asked about Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kumar said, “In 2014 he became PM but only time will tell whether he would remain there in 2024 or not.” “I’m not an aspirant for the PM’s post but in 2024 all (opposition parties) should come together”, appealed Kumar. On what was the difference between the then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the current PM Narendra Modi, Kumar said, “Vajpayee had given us so much of love, warmth and respect that we cannot ever forget but the situation has quite changed now”. When asked about what went wrong with BJP, Kumar said, “You all know it very well...I was not speaking to you all for the last one and half month. My partymen will let you know everything.” Kumar once again asserted that he didn’t want to become Chief Minister in 2020 but “there was pressure from all sides so I accepted the post”. “You all must be knowing how many seats JD(U) had got in 2015 assembly elections (70 seats) and how much in 2020 assembly poll (43). Why my party was reduced to such a low figure? A lot of things were going on so my partymen decided to snap ties with BJP and I went with their decision”, he said. Earlier, after taking the oath, Tejashwi Yadav touched the feet of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to seek his blessings. His mother Rabri Devi, earlier before the oath-taking ceremony, told media persons repeatedly that “everything has been forgiven”. She was referring to Kumar becoming a turncoat in 2017 to join hands with BJP after parting ways with RJD-led mahagathbandhan. Meanwhile, BJP leaders sat on dharna at BJP headquarters on Wednesday to condemn Nitish Kumar’s “betrayal”. “BJP made him Chief Minister five times but he (Kumar) betrayed us. The people of Bihar will give him a befitting reply for his conduct in time to come”, said senior state BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member Sushil Kumar Modi. Sushil Kumar Modi has been close to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and in NDA governments he has been his deputy in the cabinet. If party sources are to be believed there would be 16 Ministers, including Dy CM Tejashwi Yadav and Lalu Prasad’s elder son Tej Pratap Yadav from RJD in the new cabinet. Names of other party leaders like Alok Mehta, Lalit Yadav, Anita Devi, Kumar Sarvajit, Bhai Birendra, Surendra Ram, Veena Singh are others doing rounds for cabinet berths. It is also said that as many as 13 leaders from JD(U) would take oath as Ministers in the new Cabinet. Seems to be ‘rebellion’ against PM Modi in Uttar Pradesh: AAP after Yogi Adityanath announces free bus ride to women The Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday said a “rebellion” seems to be brewing in Uttar Pradesh against the BJP’s top leadership after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced free bus rides to women above 60 years. The AAP said the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister is adopting the “Kejriwal model” despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s opposition to freebies. Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Adityanath announced in a tweet in Hindi, “Very soon in Uttar Pradesh, we are going to make arrangements for mothers and sisters above 60 years of age to avail free rides in government buses.” Reacting to Adityanath’s tweet, AAP national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said on the microblogging site, “After Bihar, there seems to be a rebellion against Modi ji in UP.” AAP’s political affairs committee member Atishi also took a swipe at the prime minister as she tweeted, “So Modi opposes freebies and Yogi proposes freebies.” “Battle lines are drawn within the BJP,” Atishi, who is an MLA from Delhi’s Kalkaji, added. Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal retweeted the comments of his party leaders on the microblogging site, but did not make any comment. The AAP has been defending freebies since Prime Minister Modi, while addressing the gathering at an event in Uttar Pradesh last month, cautioned people against what he called a “revadi culture” of offering freebies and said this is very “dangerous” for the development of the country. Kejriwal and his party leaders have been targeting the Prime Minister over his remark, contending that providing free and good education, healthcare services, electricity, water and other facilities to the people are not freebies, but the waiver of bank loans by the government to “few friends” are. On August 3, the Centre came out in full support of a public interest litigation (PIL) against the practice of political parties promising handouts during elections and told the Supreme Court that distribution of freebies inevitably leads to “future economic disaster”. The Bench headed by Chief Justice N. V. Ramana asked all stakeholders, including the Centre, NITI Aayog, Finance Commission and the RBI to brainstorm the issue of freebies promised during elections and come out with “constructive suggestions” to deal with it. The schemes for the socio-economic welfare of the deserving and disadvantaged masses cannot be described as "freebies", the AAP submitted before the Supreme Court on Monday while seeking to intervene in the pending petition on the issue. Opposing the plea filed by lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay seeking action against political parties for promising freebies during elections, the AAP said the schemes for the deserving and disadvantaged people cannot be considered handouts. The Kejriwal-led party alleged that the petitioner [Upadhyay] is attempting to use the device of PIL to “camouflage” a thinly veiled attempt at furthering a particular political agenda. Prophet remarks row | Supreme Court clubs and transfers all FIRs against Nupur Sharma to Delhi Police The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed clubbing and transfer of all FIRs lodged across the country against former BJP spokeswoman Nupur Sharma to Delhi Police in connection with her remark on the Prophet made during a TV debate show. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and J.B. Pardiwala also extended interim protection to Sharma till the probe is concluded by the Delhi police. The top court allowed Sharma to move Delhi High Court for quashing of FIRs lodged over her remark and said all future FIRs would also be transferred to Delhi Police for investigation. The apex said the FIRs will be probed by the Intelligence Fusion & Strategic Operations (IFSO) of the Delhi Police. Sharma’s remark on the Prophet during a TV debate had triggered protests across the country and drew sharp reactions from many Gulf countries. The BJP subsequently suspended her from the party. Supreme Court to consider plea seeking ban on people convicted of offences from contesting elections The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it will consider a plea seeking a lifetime ban on people convicted of offences from contesting elections and becoming Members of Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies. Appearing before a Bench led by Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana, senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for petitioner Ashwini Upadhyay, said “even a constable can lose his job after conviction”. The Centre had, in an affidavit filed in 2020, maintained in court that disqualification under the Representation of the People Act of 1951 for the period of prison sentence and six years thereafter was enough for legislators. On Wednesday, senior advocate Vijay Hansaria, the court’s amicus curiae, however, said a convicted MP or MLA could come back after the six-year ban and make laws. In its affidavit in December 2020, the Ministry had rejected the idea of a lifetime ban on convicted persons contesting elections or forming or becoming an office-bearer of a political party. The Ministry had reasoned that MPs and MLAs were not bound by specific “service conditions”. “They are bound by their oath to serve citizens and country... They are bound by propriety, good conscience and interest of the nation,” the Ministry had argued. The Centre had attempted to buttress its case last year by citing a Constitution Bench decision in the Public Interest Foundation case of 2019 which said “though criminalisation of politics is a bitter manifest truth, which is a termite to the citadel of democracy, be that as it may, the court cannot make the law”. But the Centre’s stand in 2020 contradicted that of the Election Commission of India (ECI). In 2017, the top poll body endorsed the call for a lifetime ban in the apex court. It had argued that such a move would “champion the cause of decriminalisation of politics”. The ECI had then agreed in the Supreme Court that a ban would be in the spirit of fundamental rights of the Constitution, including the right to equality. Upadhyay has urged in court the need for a level playing field. He said if a convicted person cannot be a government clerk, the same rule should apply to a politician. “A person who cannot be a government clerk, can be a Minister,” Upadhyay had submitted. In Brief Justice U.U. Lalit appointed 49th Chief Justice of India Justice Uday Umesh Lalit was on Wednesday appointed as the 49th Chief Justice of India after President Droupadi Murmu signed his warrant of appointment. He will assume charge on August 27 after incumbent N.V. Ramana demits office the day before. “In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Uday Umesh Lalit, judge of the Supreme Court, to be the Chief Justice of India with effect from 27 August, 2022,” a law ministry notification said. Justice Lalit will have a brief tenure of less than three months. He will turn 65 on November 8 when he demits office. Domestic airfare caps to be removed from August 31: Centre Limits imposed on domestic airfares will be removed from August 31, after a span of approximately 27 months, the Union Aviation Ministry said on Wednesday. “The decision to remove air fare caps has been taken after careful analysis of daily demand and prices of air turbine fuel (ATF). Stabilisation has set in and we are certain that the sector is poised for growth in domestic traffic in the near future,” Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Twitter. ATF prices have been coming down during the last few weeks after jumping to record levels, primarily due to the Russia-Ukraine war that began on February 24. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow [logo] The Evening Wrap 10 AUGUST 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]( Nitish Kumar takes oath as Bihar CM for 8th time, Tejashwi is his deputy Janata Dal(U) leader [Nitish Kumar took oath as Chief Minister for eighth time]( on Wednesday with Tejashwi Yadav as his Deputy in the cabinet again at state Raj Bhawan in Patna. Governor Phagu Chouhan administered the oath to them. [Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar with his deputy Tejashwi Yadav during their swearing-in ceremony at the Raj Bhavan in Patna on August 10, 2022. ] Earlier in 2015, both had taken oath together for the same. But in 2017, Kumar played a turncoat and had joined hands with the BJP. The rest of the cabinet of ministers is likely to take oath later. “The oath of other ministers may happen in a day or two, before the inauspicious month of Kharwans which begins from August 12”, said a senior RJD leader. Leaders of all seven mahagathbandhan parties were present during the oath-taking ceremony along with the family members of Yadav. After taking the oath, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, while speaking to media persons, said that he would not be there (as CM) in 2024. “What will happen I do not know but it is certain that I’ll not be here in 2024”, said Kumar throwing enough indications that he would prefer to do national politics by that time. When asked about Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kumar said, “In 2014 he became PM but only time will tell whether he would remain there in 2024 or not.” “I’m not an aspirant for the PM’s post but in 2024 all (opposition parties) should come together”, appealed Kumar. On what was the difference between the then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the current PM Narendra Modi, Kumar said, “Vajpayee had given us so much of love, warmth and respect that we cannot ever forget but the situation has quite changed now”. When asked about what went wrong with BJP, Kumar said, “You all know it very well...I was not speaking to you all for the last one and half month. My partymen will let you know everything.” Kumar once again asserted that he didn’t want to become Chief Minister in 2020 but “there was pressure from all sides so I accepted the post”. “You all must be knowing how many seats JD(U) had got in 2015 assembly elections (70 seats) and how much in 2020 assembly poll (43). Why my party was reduced to such a low figure? A lot of things were going on so my partymen decided to snap ties with BJP and I went with their decision”, he said. Earlier, after taking the oath, Tejashwi Yadav touched the feet of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to seek his blessings. His mother Rabri Devi, earlier before the oath-taking ceremony, told media persons repeatedly that “everything has been forgiven”. She was referring to Kumar becoming a turncoat in 2017 to join hands with BJP after parting ways with RJD-led mahagathbandhan. Meanwhile, BJP leaders sat on dharna at BJP headquarters on Wednesday to condemn Nitish Kumar’s “betrayal”. “BJP made him Chief Minister five times but he (Kumar) betrayed us. The people of Bihar will give him a befitting reply for his conduct in time to come”, said senior state BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member Sushil Kumar Modi. Sushil Kumar Modi has been close to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and in NDA governments he has been his deputy in the cabinet. If party sources are to be believed there would be 16 Ministers, including Dy CM Tejashwi Yadav and Lalu Prasad’s elder son Tej Pratap Yadav from RJD in the new cabinet. Names of other party leaders like Alok Mehta, Lalit Yadav, Anita Devi, Kumar Sarvajit, Bhai Birendra, Surendra Ram, Veena Singh are others doing rounds for cabinet berths. It is also said that as many as 13 leaders from JD(U) would take oath as Ministers in the new Cabinet. Seems to be ‘rebellion’ against PM Modi in Uttar Pradesh: AAP after Yogi Adityanath announces free bus ride to women The [Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday said a “rebellion” seems to be brewing in Uttar Pradesh]( against the BJP’s top leadership after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced free bus rides to women above 60 years. The AAP said the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister is adopting the “Kejriwal model” despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s opposition to freebies. Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Adityanath announced in a tweet in Hindi, “Very soon in Uttar Pradesh, we are going to make arrangements for mothers and sisters above 60 years of age to avail free rides in government buses.” Reacting to Adityanath’s tweet, AAP national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said on the microblogging site, “After Bihar, there seems to be a rebellion against Modi ji in UP.” AAP’s political affairs committee member Atishi also took a swipe at the prime minister as she tweeted, “So Modi opposes freebies and Yogi proposes freebies.” “Battle lines are drawn within the BJP,” Atishi, who is an MLA from Delhi’s Kalkaji, added. Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal retweeted the comments of his party leaders on the microblogging site, but did not make any comment. The AAP has been defending freebies since Prime Minister Modi, while addressing the gathering at an event in Uttar Pradesh last month, cautioned people against what he called a “revadi culture” of offering freebies and said this is very “dangerous” for the development of the country. Kejriwal and his party leaders have been targeting the Prime Minister over his remark, contending that providing free and good education, healthcare services, electricity, water and other facilities to the people are not freebies, but the waiver of bank loans by the government to “few friends” are. On August 3, the Centre came out in full support of a public interest litigation (PIL) against the practice of political parties promising handouts during elections and told the Supreme Court that distribution of freebies inevitably leads to “future economic disaster”. The Bench headed by Chief Justice N. V. Ramana asked all stakeholders, including the Centre, NITI Aayog, Finance Commission and the RBI to brainstorm the issue of freebies promised during elections and come out with “constructive suggestions” to deal with it. The schemes for the socio-economic welfare of the deserving and disadvantaged masses cannot be described as "freebies", the AAP submitted before the Supreme Court on Monday while seeking to intervene in the pending petition on the issue. Opposing the plea filed by lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay seeking action against political parties for promising freebies during elections, the AAP said the schemes for the deserving and disadvantaged people cannot be considered handouts. The Kejriwal-led party alleged that the petitioner [Upadhyay] is attempting to use the device of PIL to “camouflage” a thinly veiled attempt at furthering a particular political agenda. Prophet remarks row | Supreme Court clubs and transfers all FIRs against Nupur Sharma to Delhi Police The Supreme Court on Wednesday [directed clubbing and transfer of all FIRs lodged across the country against former BJP spokeswoman Nupur Sharma]( to Delhi Police in connection with her remark on the Prophet made during a TV debate show. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and J.B. Pardiwala also extended interim protection to Sharma till the probe is concluded by the Delhi police. The top court allowed Sharma to move Delhi High Court for quashing of FIRs lodged over her remark and said all future FIRs would also be transferred to Delhi Police for investigation. The apex said the FIRs will be probed by the Intelligence Fusion & Strategic Operations (IFSO) of the Delhi Police. Sharma’s remark on the Prophet during a TV debate had triggered protests across the country and drew sharp reactions from many Gulf countries. The BJP subsequently suspended her from the party. Supreme Court to consider plea seeking ban on people convicted of offences from contesting elections The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it will consider a plea [seeking a lifetime ban on people convicted of offences from contesting elections]( and becoming Members of Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies. Appearing before a Bench led by Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana, senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for petitioner Ashwini Upadhyay, said “even a constable can lose his job after conviction”. The Centre had, in an affidavit filed in 2020, maintained in court that disqualification under the Representation of the People Act of 1951 for the period of prison sentence and six years thereafter was enough for legislators. On Wednesday, senior advocate Vijay Hansaria, the court’s amicus curiae, however, said a convicted MP or MLA could come back after the six-year ban and make laws. In its affidavit in December 2020, the Ministry had rejected the idea of a lifetime ban on convicted persons contesting elections or forming or becoming an office-bearer of a political party. The Ministry had reasoned that MPs and MLAs were not bound by specific “service conditions”. “They are bound by their oath to serve citizens and country... They are bound by propriety, good conscience and interest of the nation,” the Ministry had argued. The Centre had attempted to buttress its case last year by citing a Constitution Bench decision in the Public Interest Foundation case of 2019 which said “though criminalisation of politics is a bitter manifest truth, which is a termite to the citadel of democracy, be that as it may, the court cannot make the law”. But the Centre’s stand in 2020 contradicted that of the Election Commission of India (ECI). In 2017, the top poll body endorsed the call for a lifetime ban in the apex court. It had argued that such a move would “champion the cause of decriminalisation of politics”. The ECI had then agreed in the Supreme Court that a ban would be in the spirit of fundamental rights of the Constitution, including the right to equality. Upadhyay has urged in court the need for a level playing field. He said if a convicted person cannot be a government clerk, the same rule should apply to a politician. “A person who cannot be a government clerk, can be a Minister,” Upadhyay had submitted. In Brief Justice U.U. Lalit appointed 49th Chief Justice of India [Justice Uday Umesh Lalit. File] [Justice Uday Umesh Lalit was on Wednesday appointed as the 49th Chief Justice of India]( after President Droupadi Murmu signed his warrant of appointment. He will assume charge on August 27 after incumbent N.V. Ramana demits office the day before. “In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Uday Umesh Lalit, judge of the Supreme Court, to be the Chief Justice of India with effect from 27 August, 2022,” a law ministry notification said. Justice Lalit will have a brief tenure of less than three months. He will turn 65 on November 8 when he demits office. Domestic airfare caps to be removed from August 31: Centre [Limits imposed on domestic airfares will be removed from August 31]( after a span of approximately 27 months, the Union Aviation Ministry said on Wednesday. “The decision to remove air fare caps has been taken after careful analysis of daily demand and prices of air turbine fuel (ATF). Stabilisation has set in and we are certain that the sector is poised for growth in domestic traffic in the near future,” Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Twitter. 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