The Evening Wrap: Congress meltdown in Goa as 8 of party’s 11 MLAs defect to BJP

Throwing their anti-defection pledges to the wind, eight of the total 11 Congress MLAs in the Goa Legislative Assembly defected to the ruling BJP led by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday. The saffron party has succeeded in splitting the Congress twice in three years. In a startling turn of events, the volatile coastal state witnessed another bout of political musical chairs as eight Congress legislators – two-thirds of the party’s strength in the Goa Legislature – moved en masse to the BJP in an eerie replay of the Congress’ mass defections to the saffron party in 2019. The turncoats include top Congress guns like ex-Chief Chief Minister Digambar Kamat and former Leader of Opposition Michael Lobo and his wife Delilah Lobo, as well long-time Congress loyalists like Aleixo Sequeira, Sankalp Amonkar and Rodolfo Fernandes along with Rajesh Faldessai and Kedar Naik. High drama was witnessed on September 14 morning as the eight MLAs reached the Goa Legislative Assembly to complete the merger formalities with the Speaker. With these eight defections, the BJP, which has 20 MLAs in the 40-seat Assembly, has now increased its strength to 28 while the ruling BJP government (along with allies) now has the support 33 MLAs including two legislators of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and three independents. The total opposition is reduced to just seven MLAs – three from the beleaguered Congress (Carlos Ferreira, Altone d’ Costa and Yuri Alemao), one from Goa Forward Party, two from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and one from the Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP). Speaking to reporters at the BJP party office where the Congress rebels were officially welcomed, a jubilant Sawant, who had engineered the 2019 coup as well, said: “The Congress was undertaking a ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, but a Congress ‘Chhodo Yatra’ is now beginning from Goa. They have joined us to take Goa’s development forward and to realise Prime Minister’s vision of a New India. I welcome all 8 MLAs to the BJP.” Stating that all eight Congressmen had joined the BJP “unconditionally,” Sawant said that what had started in Goa, would be soon seen across country as Congress leaders will leave their party en masse to join the BJP. “We are confident of winning both the Lok Sabha seats in Goa [North Goa and South Goa seats] in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. The BJP will win more than 400 seats in the general election,” Sawant claimed, adding, “If anyone else wanted to join the BJP, they are welcome to join us.” Stating that the BJP had 27 MLAs in its previous tenure and that the party’s slogan had been to achieve ‘22+ seats’ in the 2022 Goa Assembly, he observed that the BJP already had 28 MLAs (20 of its own along with the eight Congress defectors) before the end of 2022. A major crisis within the Goa Congress was imminent after Goa desk in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao had rushed to the coastal state in July this year to prevent a major split within the party. Rao had charged that the split was being engineered by Lobo and Kamat in co-ordination with the ruling BJP. While the crisis appeared to have been averted at the time, the defections today prove it was merely postponed. Commenting on the defections, Rao, in a tweet, lashed out against the BJP, stating: “The destruction of democratic principles is in full display in Goa. Offering huge monies, ministries and inducements, the BJP is trying to uproot the opposition. Shameful exercise of power and money by an authoritarian establishment.” An infuriated Rao said that the Goan public had voted for these MLAs only because they were Congress candidates who had taken oaths in temples, churches and dargahs while giving affidavits that they would not defect to the BJP come what may. Speaking after his joining the BJP, Kamat explained away his volte face by drolly quipping, “In politics, circumstances sometimes compelled one to take a hard decision. Yes, I had taken the oath in front of God not to leave the Congress. Now, I asked God what to do and He told me to decide accordingly. So, I have taken a decision in the interests of the State after looking at the work of PM Modi.” Kamat, a seven-time MLA from Margao, was the Congress’ Chief Ministerial face during the Goa Assembly election held in February this year. For Lobo and his wife Delilah, among the richest MLA couples in the coastal State, it was a homecoming to the BJP as they had both joined the Congress a few months before the February Assembly election. “When senior Congressmen like Ghulam Nabi Azad and Kapil Sabil, considered pillars of their party, speak out against the Congress leadership, then these are signs to be taken seriously… People in my constituency told me to leave, I had to listen to them,” said Lobo, expressing his dissatisfaction with Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo’ yatra. Despite the Congress emerging as the single-largest party with 17 MLAs after the 2017 Assembly elections, it had failed to seize the initiative to form the government, leaving the BJP — which had secured just 13 seats — to cobble an alliance with smaller regional parties such as the Goa Forward Party (GFP) and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP). This setback to the Congress was followed by a major blow in 2019 when ten of its MLAs had switched allegiances to join the BJP, whittling down the party to just two MLAs — former Chief Ministers Pratapsingh Rane and Digambar Kamat. To preclude a recurrence and put a stop to rampant horse-trading, all 37 Congress candidates had taken loyalty pledges ahead of the February Assembly election in the presence of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at a temple, dargah and a church vowing not to defect to other parties regardless of the election result. Hitting out at the breathtaking opportunism of the defecting MLAs, Goa Forward Party (GFP) chief Vijai Sardesai said that the Congress rebels had “destroyed the faith of the Goan people in democracy.” “The eight legislators who have decided, against all political propriety, basic decency and honesty, to pursue their greed for wealth and hunger for power, stand today as the symbols of pure evil,” said Sardesai, whose GFP had contested the polls in alliance with the Congress. The GFP chief, the lone MLA from his party, said that the BJP today had completed “the murder of democracy it had begun since [late BJP leader] Manohar Parrikar’s demise.” “Now, even the BJP cadre have to check who the real BJP is, given the amount of imported leaders that are with the party today. Unfortunately, in all this, it is the Goan public that will suffer,” he said. With the question now over who constituted the opposition in the 40-seat Assembly, Sardesai said that he alone was combative enough to function as a “one-man opposition”. Meanwhile, the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said that the defections proved what AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal had always said about the Congress ahead of the Goa Assembly election that a vote for the Congress effectively meant a vote for the BJP. Speaking in Delhi, Kejriwal, who alleged that the BJP had attempted to bribe his party’s MLAs in Punjab, questioned why only Congress MLAs were getting poached. “Why can’t they buy our [AAP’s] MLAs despite their attempts?” said the Delhi CM. The Goa Congress defections come barely two months after Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde’s intra-party revolt in neighbouring Maharashtra, which too was facilitated by the BJP amid widespread speculation of a major churn within the Maharashtra Congress itself. Supreme Court allows BCCI to amend constitution; paves way for second Ganguly, Shah terms The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Gangul and secretary Jay Shah are set to continue for another term after the Supreme Court allowed the BCCI to amend its constitution, paving the way for its president, secretary and office-bearers to have two consecutive terms irrespective of their earlier stints in state associations. A bench of Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and Hima Kohli on Wednesday observed that “having considered the application, we are of the considered view that the proposed amendment should be accepted. SG has stated that the amendment proposed by the amicus is acceptable to the BCCI”. According to the BCCI constitution, which was approved by the Supreme Court earlier, “an office-bearer who has held any post for two consecutive terms either in a state association or in the BCCI (or a combination of both) shall not be eligible to contest any further election without completing a cooling period of three years.” But now, an individual can first serve two terms of three years each in the state association and can then directly be elected as a member of the BCCI for two terms, before going for a cooling-off. Earlier on Tuesday, the bench orally observed that imposing a cooling-off period of three years after only one term in office would be “too stringent”. The Supreme Court order is also a relief for Rajiv Shukla, who was recently elected to the Rajya Sabha. The apex court has agreed to redefine the scope of ‘public servants’, who are barred from holding any position in the BCCI. Only ministers, government employees are to be considered public servants and not MPs, MLAs, who previously came under this ambit. Can government explain how territory ‘given’ to China will be retrieved, asks Rahul Gandhi Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has “given” 1,000 square kilometres of Indian territory to China “without a fight”, and asked the government how it will be retrieved. He also claimed that China has refused to accept India’s demand of restoring status quo on the border as on April 2020. Gandhi’s attack came after Indian and Chinese armies carried out a joint verification of the disengagement process at Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings area in eastern Ladakh after withdrawing their troops and dismantling temporary infrastructure from the friction point. Both sides completed the disengagement in a phased and coordinated manner, according to people familiar with the development. Attacking the government, Gandhi tweeted, “China has refused to accept India’s demand of restoring status quo of April 2020. PM has given 1,000 Sq Kms of territory to China without a fight.” Can the government of India explain how this territory will be retrieved, he asked. The eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas. Both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers and heavy weaponry. As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process last year on the north and south banks of the Pangong lake and in the Gogra area. The disengagement in the Pangong Lake area took place in February last year while the withdrawal of troops and equipment in Patrolling Point 17 (A) in Gogra took place in August last year. HC directs Swamy to handover government bungalow’s possession to estate officer in six weeks The Delhi High Court Wednesday directed former BJP Rajya Sabha member Subramanian Swamy to hand over possession of his government bungalow to the estate officer within six weeks. Justice Yashwant Varma noted that the allotment of the bungalow was made for five years and that period has come to an end. The judge said the court has not been shown any material which mandates and requires the allotment of government accommodation to a Z category protectee. The high court disposed of Swamy’s petition seeking re-allotment of the same bungalow, which was allotted to him on January 15, 2016, and he has been living there since then in view of security threats to him. The judge said all that is required to be done by the government is to ensure that adequate arrangements are made in the residential premises, which the petitioner will now occupy, for his safety and security. Swamy’s term as a member of the upper house came to an end on April 24, 2022. “The court notes undisputedly that the allotment was made for a period of five years and that period has fairly come to an end. The court has not been shown any material which mandates and requires the allotment of government accommodation to a Z category protectee.” “The writ petition is disposed of with this observation. The court further directs the petitioner (Mr. Swamy) to ensure that the premises are handed over to the estate officer concerned within a period of six weeks from today,” the judge said. Swamy’s counsel submitted that bearing in mind the security arrangements which are required for Z category protectee, the accommodation originally allotted to him must be continued in his favour. The court noted that documents placed on record appeared to suggest that the premise came to be allotted to the petitioner on account of the threat perception which was accessed by the authorities at that stage. Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain, representing the government, submitted that while Swamy continues to remain a Z category protectee, the policies and guidelines which govern such protectees do not obligate the government to also provide residential accommodation from the general pool. He said while the Union Government shall continue to extend Z category protection to the petitioner subject to due periodical review, it would not be possible for the bungalow in question to be realloted to Swamy. Jain said in any case, the petitioner has his residential premises where he can possibly shift and the protecting agencies shall take all further steps on that premises as may be warranted to ensure his safety and security. Senior advocate Jayant Mehta, representing Swamy, said bearing in mind the security threat to him, the bungalow was needed to accommodate the security personnel who accompany him at all times. “Till today the number of guards has not gone down. I have no difficulty in shifting to my personal accommodation but it is insufficient. As a protectee, I am required to ensure that the security personnel rest and their basic needs are met,” the counsel said. In Brief: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on September 14 said that the AAP Government in Punjab will “fully support” the Agnipath Scheme during the recruitment drives of Agniveers. Kejriwal’s clarification came after reports that the Punjab Government was not supportive of the recruitment drive. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had earlier criticised the Agnipath Scheme and appealed to the Central Government to give defence job aspirants the chance to serve the country throughout their life, not just four years. Later, his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann clarified that directions have been given for “complete support” on the Agnipath scheme. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 14 SEPTEMBER 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]( Eight Goa Congress MLAs join BJP Throwing their anti-defection pledges to the wind, [eight of the total 11 Congress MLAs in the Goa Legislative Assembly defected to the ruling BJP]( led by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday. The saffron party has succeeded in splitting the Congress twice in three years. In a startling turn of events, the volatile coastal state witnessed another bout of political musical chairs as eight Congress legislators – two-thirds of the party’s strength in the Goa Legislature – moved en masse to the BJP in an eerie replay of the Congress’ mass defections to the saffron party in 2019. [Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and BJP Goa president Sadanand Shet Tanavade with the eight Congress MLAs who joined the party in Panaji on September 14, 2022. ] The turncoats include top Congress guns like ex-Chief Chief Minister Digambar Kamat and former Leader of Opposition Michael Lobo and his wife Delilah Lobo, as well long-time Congress loyalists like Aleixo Sequeira, Sankalp Amonkar and Rodolfo Fernandes along with Rajesh Faldessai and Kedar Naik. High drama was witnessed on September 14 morning as the eight MLAs reached the Goa Legislative Assembly to complete the merger formalities with the Speaker. With these eight defections, the BJP, which has 20 MLAs in the 40-seat Assembly, has now increased its strength to 28 while the ruling BJP government (along with allies) now has the support 33 MLAs including two legislators of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and three independents. The total opposition is reduced to just seven MLAs – three from the beleaguered Congress (Carlos Ferreira, Altone d’ Costa and Yuri Alemao), one from Goa Forward Party, two from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and one from the Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP). Speaking to reporters at the BJP party office where the Congress rebels were officially welcomed, a jubilant Sawant, who had engineered the 2019 coup as well, said: “The Congress was undertaking a ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, but a Congress ‘Chhodo Yatra’ is now beginning from Goa. They have joined us to take Goa’s development forward and to realise Prime Minister’s vision of a New India. I welcome all 8 MLAs to the BJP.” Stating that all eight Congressmen had joined the BJP “unconditionally,” Sawant said that what had started in Goa, would be soon seen across country as Congress leaders will leave their party en masse to join the BJP. “We are confident of winning both the Lok Sabha seats in Goa [North Goa and South Goa seats] in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. The BJP will win more than 400 seats in the general election,” Sawant claimed, adding, “If anyone else wanted to join the BJP, they are welcome to join us.” Stating that the BJP had 27 MLAs in its previous tenure and that the party’s slogan had been to achieve ‘22+ seats’ in the 2022 Goa Assembly, he observed that the BJP already had 28 MLAs (20 of its own along with the eight Congress defectors) before the end of 2022. A major crisis within the Goa Congress was imminent after Goa desk in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao had rushed to the coastal state in July this year to prevent a major split within the party. Rao had charged that the split was being engineered by Lobo and Kamat in co-ordination with the ruling BJP. While the crisis appeared to have been averted at the time, the defections today prove it was merely postponed. Commenting on the defections, Rao, in a tweet, lashed out against the BJP, stating: “The destruction of democratic principles is in full display in Goa. Offering huge monies, ministries and inducements, the BJP is trying to uproot the opposition. Shameful exercise of power and money by an authoritarian establishment.” An infuriated Rao said that the Goan public had voted for these MLAs only because they were Congress candidates who had taken oaths in temples, churches and dargahs while giving affidavits that they would not defect to the BJP come what may. Speaking after his joining the BJP, Kamat explained away his volte face by drolly quipping, “In politics, circumstances sometimes compelled one to take a hard decision. Yes, I had taken the oath in front of God not to leave the Congress. Now, I asked God what to do and He told me to decide accordingly. So, I have taken a decision in the interests of the State after looking at the work of PM Modi.” Kamat, a seven-time MLA from Margao, was the Congress’ Chief Ministerial face during the Goa Assembly election held in February this year. For Lobo and his wife Delilah, among the richest MLA couples in the coastal State, it was a homecoming to the BJP as they had both joined the Congress a few months before the February Assembly election. “When senior Congressmen like Ghulam Nabi Azad and Kapil Sabil, considered pillars of their party, speak out against the Congress leadership, then these are signs to be taken seriously… People in my constituency told me to leave, I had to listen to them,” said Lobo, expressing his dissatisfaction with Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo’ yatra. Despite the Congress emerging as the single-largest party with 17 MLAs after the 2017 Assembly elections, it had failed to seize the initiative to form the government, leaving the BJP — which had secured just 13 seats — to cobble an alliance with smaller regional parties such as the Goa Forward Party (GFP) and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP). This setback to the Congress was followed by a major blow in 2019 when ten of its MLAs had switched allegiances to join the BJP, whittling down the party to just two MLAs — former Chief Ministers Pratapsingh Rane and Digambar Kamat. To preclude a recurrence and put a stop to rampant horse-trading, all 37 Congress candidates had taken loyalty pledges ahead of the February Assembly election in the presence of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at a temple, dargah and a church vowing not to defect to other parties regardless of the election result. Hitting out at the breathtaking opportunism of the defecting MLAs, Goa Forward Party (GFP) chief Vijai Sardesai said that the Congress rebels had “destroyed the faith of the Goan people in democracy.” “The eight legislators who have decided, against all political propriety, basic decency and honesty, to pursue their greed for wealth and hunger for power, stand today as the symbols of pure evil,” said Sardesai, whose GFP had contested the polls in alliance with the Congress. The GFP chief, the lone MLA from his party, said that the BJP today had completed “the murder of democracy it had begun since [late BJP leader] Manohar Parrikar’s demise.” “Now, even the BJP cadre have to check who the real BJP is, given the amount of imported leaders that are with the party today. Unfortunately, in all this, it is the Goan public that will suffer,” he said. With the question now over who constituted the opposition in the 40-seat Assembly, Sardesai said that he alone was combative enough to function as a “one-man opposition”. Meanwhile, the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said that the defections proved what AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal had always said about the Congress ahead of the Goa Assembly election that a vote for the Congress effectively meant a vote for the BJP. Speaking in Delhi, Kejriwal, who alleged that the BJP had attempted to bribe his party’s MLAs in Punjab, questioned why only Congress MLAs were getting poached. “Why can’t they buy our [AAP’s] MLAs despite their attempts?” said the Delhi CM. The Goa Congress defections come barely two months after Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde’s intra-party revolt in neighbouring Maharashtra, which too was facilitated by the BJP amid widespread speculation of a major churn within the Maharashtra Congress itself. Supreme Court allows BCCI to amend constitution; paves way for second Ganguly, Shah terms The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Gangul and secretary Jay Shah are [set to continue for another term after the Supreme Court allowed the BCCI to amend its constitution]( paving the way for its president, secretary and office-bearers to have two consecutive terms irrespective of their earlier stints in state associations. A bench of Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and Hima Kohli on Wednesday observed that “having considered the application, we are of the considered view that the proposed amendment should be accepted. SG has stated that the amendment proposed by the amicus is acceptable to the BCCI”. According to the BCCI constitution, which was approved by the Supreme Court earlier, “an office-bearer who has held any post for two consecutive terms either in a state association or in the BCCI (or a combination of both) shall not be eligible to contest any further election without completing a cooling period of three years.” But now, an individual can first serve two terms of three years each in the state association and can then directly be elected as a member of the BCCI for two terms, before going for a cooling-off. Earlier on Tuesday, the bench orally observed that imposing a cooling-off period of three years after only one term in office would be “too stringent”. The Supreme Court order is also a relief for Rajiv Shukla, who was recently elected to the Rajya Sabha. The apex court has agreed to redefine the scope of ‘public servants’, who are barred from holding any position in the BCCI. Only ministers, government employees are to be considered public servants and not MPs, MLAs, who previously came under this ambit. Can government explain how territory ‘given’ to China will be retrieved, asks Rahul Gandhi Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday [alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has “given” 1,000 square kilometres of Indian territory to China]( “without a fight”, and asked the government how it will be retrieved. He also claimed that China has refused to accept India’s demand of restoring status quo on the border as on April 2020. Gandhi’s attack came after Indian and Chinese armies carried out a joint verification of the disengagement process at Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings area in eastern Ladakh after withdrawing their troops and dismantling temporary infrastructure from the friction point. [Congess leader Rahul Gandhi with a supporter during the party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra in Thiruvananthapuram on September 14, 2022. Photo: Twitter/@INCIndia via PTI] Both sides completed the disengagement in a phased and coordinated manner, according to people familiar with the development. Attacking the government, Gandhi tweeted, “China has refused to accept India’s demand of restoring status quo of April 2020. PM has given 1,000 Sq Kms of territory to China without a fight.” Can the government of India explain how this territory will be retrieved, he asked. The eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas. Both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers and heavy weaponry. As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process last year on the north and south banks of the Pangong lake and in the Gogra area. The disengagement in the Pangong Lake area took place in February last year while the withdrawal of troops and equipment in Patrolling Point 17 (A) in Gogra took place in August last year. HC directs Swamy to handover government bungalow’s possession to estate officer in six weeks The Delhi High Court Wednesday [directed former BJP Rajya Sabha member Subramanian Swamy to hand over possession of his government bungalow]( to the estate officer within six weeks. Justice Yashwant Varma noted that the allotment of the bungalow was made for five years and that period has come to an end. The judge said the court has not been shown any material which mandates and requires the allotment of government accommodation to a Z category protectee. The high court disposed of Swamy’s petition seeking re-allotment of the same bungalow, which was allotted to him on January 15, 2016, and he has been living there since then in view of security threats to him. The judge said all that is required to be done by the government is to ensure that adequate arrangements are made in the residential premises, which the petitioner will now occupy, for his safety and security. Swamy’s term as a member of the upper house came to an end on April 24, 2022. “The court notes undisputedly that the allotment was made for a period of five years and that period has fairly come to an end. The court has not been shown any material which mandates and requires the allotment of government accommodation to a Z category protectee.” “The writ petition is disposed of with this observation. The court further directs the petitioner (Mr. Swamy) to ensure that the premises are handed over to the estate officer concerned within a period of six weeks from today,” the judge said. Swamy’s counsel submitted that bearing in mind the security arrangements which are required for Z category protectee, the accommodation originally allotted to him must be continued in his favour. The court noted that documents placed on record appeared to suggest that the premise came to be allotted to the petitioner on account of the threat perception which was accessed by the authorities at that stage. Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain, representing the government, submitted that while Swamy continues to remain a Z category protectee, the policies and guidelines which govern such protectees do not obligate the government to also provide residential accommodation from the general pool. He said while the Union Government shall continue to extend Z category protection to the petitioner subject to due periodical review, it would not be possible for the bungalow in question to be realloted to Swamy. Jain said in any case, the petitioner has his residential premises where he can possibly shift and the protecting agencies shall take all further steps on that premises as may be warranted to ensure his safety and security. Senior advocate Jayant Mehta, representing Swamy, said bearing in mind the security threat to him, the bungalow was needed to accommodate the security personnel who accompany him at all times. “Till today the number of guards has not gone down. I have no difficulty in shifting to my personal accommodation but it is insufficient. As a protectee, I am required to ensure that the security personnel rest and their basic needs are met,” the counsel said. In Brief: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on September 14 said that the AAP Government in Punjab will “fully support” the Agnipath Scheme during the recruitment drives of Agniveers. [Kejriwal’s clarification]( came after reports that the Punjab Government was not supportive of the recruitment drive. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had earlier criticised the Agnipath Scheme and appealed to the Central Government to give defence job aspirants the chance to serve the country throughout their life, not just four years. Later, his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann clarified that directions have been given for “complete support” on the Agnipath scheme. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow.  Today’s Top Picks [[Queen Elizabeth II lies in state at British Parliament] Queen Elizabeth II lies in state at British Parliament]( [[Rajnath conveys to Austin India’s concern over U.S. F-16 refit package for Pakistan] Rajnath conveys to Austin India’s concern over U.S. F-16 refit package for Pakistan]( [[After 33 years, Kashmir’s pristine Manasbal Lake opens for NCC cadets again] After 33 years, Kashmir’s pristine Manasbal Lake opens for NCC cadets again]( [[Zelensky visits recently retaken, devastated city] Zelensky visits recently retaken, devastated city]( Copyright @ 2022, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. If you are facing any trouble in viewing this newsletter, please [try here]( If you do not wish to receive such emails [go here](