The Evening Wrap: Ashok Gehlot hints at entering Congress presidential poll fray if party wishes

In a clear indication that he could throw his hat in the ring for the Congress presidential polls, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on September 21 said he will file his nomination if his party people wish so and fulfill any responsibility given to him. However, Gehlot, who is set to go to Kochi later in the day, said he will make one last-ditch effort to convince Rahul Gandhi to take up the party president’s post. Speaking with reporters after landing in New Delhi from Jaipur, Gehlot said he will take decisions with which the Congress is strengthened. “The party and high command have given me everything. I have been on posts for 40-50 years. For me no post is important, I will fulfill any responsibility given to me,” he said. He also asserted that not only the Gandhi family, but scores of Congress members have faith in him. “I am very fortunate that I have got love and affection of Congressmen and women across the country and they have faith in me,” Gehlot said. “Therefore, if they ask me to fill the form [nomination], I will not be able to refuse... Will speak with friends. I was given the responsibility of being Rajasthan Chief Minister, I am fulfilling that responsibility as a CM and will continue to do so,” said Gehlot. On whether keeping both posts of the CM and party president could be a violation of the party’s pledges in Udaipur, Gehlot said that applies when the high command nominates people, while the presidential polls were an open election and anybody among the 9,000 PCC delegates, irrespective of whether that person is MP, MLA or minister, can contest. Citing an example, he said if a minister in a State stands for Congress president election, that person can stay minister and also contest polls. “Time will tell where I remain. I would like to stay where the party benefits from me, I will not back down,” he asserted when asked if he would remain CM along with being party chief. Gehlot said he wants to serve the Congress, wherever he is useful, be it Rajasthan or Delhi. “Party has given me everything, post is not so important for me. If it is up to me, I would not take any post, I would join Rahul Gandhi in the Bharat Jodo Yatra looking at the situation in the country, the Constitution is being destroyed, democracy is in danger. They [the BJP] are destroying the country,” he said. The UPA rule was unparalleled, the BJP won elections using religion and is now destroying the country, he alleged. He said if the Congress people want him in the role of CM or as president of the party, he will not be able to turn down their request. Asserting that it is important to strengthen Congress for the sake of the country, Gehlot said he would do wherever is required for that and would not back down. Asked about a prospective contest with Shashi Tharoor for the party chief’s post, he said contest should take place as it is good for internal democracy of the party. “Rajnath Singh became BJP president, then Amit Shah became president then Nadda ji, was it discussed. We are fortunate that the media only talks about the Congress [polls],” he said. Gehlot said he will try to convince Rahul Gandhi one last time to take on the post of party chief. If Rahul Gandhi carries out the Bharat Jodo Yatra being president of the Congress, it will add to the aura of the party, Gehlot said. Later, an official spokesperson said Gehlot will attend an event in Mumbai on Wednesday and reach Kochi on Thursday to join the party’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’. The Chief Minister will offer prayers at Shirdi’s Sai Baba Temple on September 23 and after attending local events in Maharashtra will return to Jaipur. Hours after he indicated that he may enter the AICC presidential poll fray, Gehlot met Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. Sources said the Congress presidential poll was on the agenda during the discussions between Gehlot and Sonia Gandhi. The Rajasthan Chief Minister met Sonia Gandhi at her 10, Janpath residence and is expected to fly to Mumbai later in the day. Meanwhile, Tharoor, who is set to contest the polls, met party central election authority chief Madhusudan Mistry at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi. The process for filing nominations for the election will be held from September 24 to 30. The date of scrutiny of the nomination papers would be October 1, while the last date of withdrawal of nominations would be October 8. The election, if there is more than one candidate, will take place on October 17, while counting of votes, if necessary, and the counting of votes and the declaration of results would be on October 19. Vladimir Putin announces partial mobilisation for Russian citizens Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday announced a partial mobilisation in Russia as the war in Ukraine reaches nearly seven months and Moscow loses ground on the battlefield. Putin also warned the West that “it’s not a bluff” that Russia would use all the means at its disposal to protect its territory. The Russian leader’s televised address to the nation comes a day after Russian-controlled regions in eastern and southern Ukraine announced plans to hold votes on becoming integral parts of Russia. The Kremlin-backed efforts to swallow up four regions could set the stage for Moscow to escalate the war following Ukrainian successes. Putin accused the West in engaging in “nuclear blackmail” and noted “statements of some high-ranking representatives of the leading NATO states about the possibility of using nuclear weapons of mass destruction against Russia.” “To those who allow themselves such statements regarding Russia, I want to remind you that our country also has various means of destruction, and for separate components and more modern than those of NATO countries and when the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, to protect Russia and our people, we will certainly use all the means at our disposal,” Putin said. He added: “It’s not a bluff.” Putin said he has signed a decree on the partial mobilisation, which is due to start on Wednesday. “We are talking about partial mobilisation, that is, only citizens who are currently in the reserve will be subject to conscription, and above all, those who served in the armed forces, and have a certain military specialty and relevant experience,” Putin said. The referendums, which have been expected to take place since the first months of the war, will start on Friday in the Luhansk, Kherson and partly Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions. Putin said the decision to partially mobilise was “fully adequate to the threats we face, namely to protect our homeland, its sovereignty and territorial integrity, to ensure the security of our people and people in the liberated territories.” Earlier on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Russian plans to stage referendums in occupied regions in eastern and southern Ukraine as a “noise” and thanked Ukraine’s allies for condemning the votes scheduled to start Friday. Four Russian-controlled regions announced plans on Tuesday to start voting this week to become integral parts of Russia, which could set the stage for Moscow to escalate the war following Ukrainian successes on the battlefield. Former President Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia’s Security Council chaired by Putin, said referendums that fold regions into Russia itself would make redrawn frontiers “irreversible” and enable Moscow to use “any means” to defend them. In his nightly address, Zelenskyy said there were lots of questions surrounding the announcements but stressed that they would not change Ukraine’s commitment to retake areas occupied by Russian forces. “The situation on the front line clearly indicates that the initiative belongs to Ukraine,” he said. “Our positions do not change because of the noise or any announcements somewhere. And we enjoy the full support of our partners in this.” The upcoming votes, in the Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions are all but certain to go Moscow’s way. But they were quickly dismissed as illegitimate by Western leaders who are backing Kyiv with military and other support that has helped its forces seize momentum on battlefields in the east and south. “I thank all friends and partners of Ukraine for today’s mass principled firm condemnation of Russia’s attempts to stage new sham referenda,” Zelenskyy said. In another signal that Russia is digging in for a protracted and possibly ramped-up conflict, the Kremlin-controlled lower of house of parliament voted Tuesday to toughen laws against desertion, surrender and looting by Russian troops. Lawmakers also voted to introduce possible 10-year prison terms for soldiers refusing to fight. If approved, as expected, by the Upper House and then signed by Putin, the legislation would strengthen commanders’ hands against failing morale reported among soldiers. Duty of TV anchors is to prevent hate speech: Supreme Court The Supreme Court on Wednesday said the role of TV anchors is critical in monitoring that their shows do not descend into a flurry of hate speech. The court said content on mainstream electronic media and social media remain largely unregulated. On TV, it is the duty of anchors to prevent hate speech. A Bench led by Justice K.M. Joseph said “we cannot give hate any air” on TV. The court wondered why the government continues to remain a mute spectator to hatred peddled in the electronic media. The court was hearing a batch of petitions against the strident increase in volume of hate speech. The court posted the case for hearing on November 23. The Supreme Court has been consistent in its efforts to stop hate on TV. In January 2021, the then Chief Justice S.A. Bobde had said that arresting hate on TV was as essential for law and order as arming policemen with lathis and putting up barricades to prevent the spread of violence and riots. “Fair and truthful reporting normally is not a problem. The problem is when it [broadcast, programmes] is used to agitate others. There are broadcasts, programmes that definitely have the effect of instigating people, not just against one community, but any community... Why are you blind to them... You don’t do anything about it?” Justice Bobde had said. The court had at that instance been hearing a batch of petitions, including one filed by Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, which alleged that certain sections of the media communalised the Tablighi Jamat congregation by linking it to a spike in the spread of COVID-19 infection. No criminality found in intercepted conversations of Niira Radia: CBI tells Supreme Court The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that no criminality has been found following an investigation into the intercepted conversations of the corporate lobbyist Niira Radia with some politicians, businessmen, media persons, and others. Taking note of the submissions of the probe agency, the top court directed it to file a status report on the matter. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the CBI, also told a three-judge bench headed by Justice D Y Chandrachud that the petition filed by industrialist Ratan Tata seeking protection of the right to privacy in view of the emergence of the Radia tapes may be disposed of in the light of the right to privacy judgement of the apex court. “I must inform you that the CBI was directed by your lordship to investigate all these conversations. Fourteen preliminary inquiries were registered and the report was placed before your lordships in a sealed cover. No criminality was found in those. Also, now there are phone-tapping guidelines in place,” Bhati said. The law officer said nothing remains in the matter after the privacy judgement. The bench, also comprising Justices Hima Kohli and P.S. Narasimha, said it will hear the matter after the Dussehra vacation as there is a Constitution Bench next week. “Meanwhile, the CBI may file an updated status report,” said the bench and posted the matter for the next hearing on October 12. At the outset, the counsel, appearing for Tata, sought an adjournment. The counsel for the petitioner informed the apex court that there is another petition filed by NGO Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL), which had sought that these transcripts be made public in the larger public interest. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the CPIL, said Radia was a corporate lobbyist for two of the most important companies and there were attempts to influence public persons, etc., which was revealed. The apex court in 2013 directed a CBI inquiry into six issues arising out of the analysis of corporate lobbyist Niira Radia’s taped conversations. “Radia’s conversations reveal deep-rooted malice by private enterprises in connivance with government officials for extraneous purposes,” the top court had said. The top court was hearing Tata’s petition seeking action against those involved in the leakage of the tapes alleging the leakage amounts to infringement of his fundamental right to life, which includes the right to privacy under Article 21 of the Constitution. He had contended that as a corporate lobbyist Radia’s phone was tapped for probing alleged tax evasion and the tapes cannot be used for any other purpose. The conversations were recorded as part of surveillance of Radia’s phone on a complaint to the Finance Minister on November 16, 2007, alleging that within nine years she had built up a business empire worth ₹300 crore. The government had recorded 180 days of Radia’s conversations -- first from August 20, 2008, for 60 days and then from October 19 for another 60 days. Later, on May 11, 2009, her phone was again put on surveillance for another 60 days following a fresh order. In Brief: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has pared its 2022-23 growth projection for India’s economy to 7% from 7.5% estimated in April, terming it a “modest downward revision” driven by higher-than-anticipated inflation and monetary tightening. The Bank also raised its inflation forecast for India to 6.7% for this year, while widening its current account deficit (CAD) estimate to 3.8% of GDP. The CAD is expected to drop to 2.1% of GDP in 2023-24 while inflation will moderate to 5.8% as demand pressures from strengthening economic activity are tamped down by easing supply bottlenecks, the Bank reckoned. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 21 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]( Ashok Gehlot hints at entering Congress presidential poll fray if party wishes In a clear indication that he could throw his hat in the ring for the Congress presidential polls, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on September 21 said [he will file his nomination if his party people wish so]( and fulfill any responsibility given to him. However, Gehlot, who is set to go to Kochi later in the day, said he will make one last-ditch effort to convince Rahul Gandhi to take up the party president’s post. Speaking with reporters after landing in New Delhi from Jaipur, Gehlot said he will take decisions with which the Congress is strengthened. [Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot leaves after meeting Congress president Sonia Gandhi at 10, Janpath in New Delhi on September 21, 2022. ] “The party and high command have given me everything. I have been on posts for 40-50 years. For me no post is important, I will fulfill any responsibility given to me,” he said. He also asserted that not only the Gandhi family, but scores of Congress members have faith in him. “I am very fortunate that I have got love and affection of Congressmen and women across the country and they have faith in me,” Gehlot said. “Therefore, if they ask me to fill the form [nomination], I will not be able to refuse... Will speak with friends. I was given the responsibility of being Rajasthan Chief Minister, I am fulfilling that responsibility as a CM and will continue to do so,” said Gehlot. On whether keeping both posts of the CM and party president could be a violation of the party’s pledges in Udaipur, Gehlot said that applies when the high command nominates people, while the presidential polls were an open election and anybody among the 9,000 PCC delegates, irrespective of whether that person is MP, MLA or minister, can contest. Citing an example, he said if a minister in a State stands for Congress president election, that person can stay minister and also contest polls. “Time will tell where I remain. I would like to stay where the party benefits from me, I will not back down,” he asserted when asked if he would remain CM along with being party chief. Gehlot said he wants to serve the Congress, wherever he is useful, be it Rajasthan or Delhi. “Party has given me everything, post is not so important for me. If it is up to me, I would not take any post, I would join Rahul Gandhi in the Bharat Jodo Yatra looking at the situation in the country, the Constitution is being destroyed, democracy is in danger. They [the BJP] are destroying the country,” he said. The UPA rule was unparalleled, the BJP won elections using religion and is now destroying the country, he alleged. He said if the Congress people want him in the role of CM or as president of the party, he will not be able to turn down their request. Asserting that it is important to strengthen Congress for the sake of the country, Gehlot said he would do wherever is required for that and would not back down. Asked about a prospective contest with Shashi Tharoor for the party chief’s post, he said contest should take place as it is good for internal democracy of the party. “Rajnath Singh became BJP president, then Amit Shah became president then Nadda ji, was it discussed. We are fortunate that the media only talks about the Congress [polls],” he said. Gehlot said he will try to convince Rahul Gandhi one last time to take on the post of party chief. If Rahul Gandhi carries out the Bharat Jodo Yatra being president of the Congress, it will add to the aura of the party, Gehlot said. Later, an official spokesperson said Gehlot will attend an event in Mumbai on Wednesday and reach Kochi on Thursday to join the party’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’. The Chief Minister will offer prayers at Shirdi’s Sai Baba Temple on September 23 and after attending local events in Maharashtra will return to Jaipur. Hours after he indicated that he may enter the AICC presidential poll fray, Gehlot met Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. Sources said the Congress presidential poll was on the agenda during the discussions between Gehlot and Sonia Gandhi. The Rajasthan Chief Minister met Sonia Gandhi at her 10, Janpath residence and is expected to fly to Mumbai later in the day. Meanwhile, Tharoor, who is set to contest the polls, met party central election authority chief Madhusudan Mistry at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi. The process for filing nominations for the election will be held from September 24 to 30. The date of scrutiny of the nomination papers would be October 1, while the last date of withdrawal of nominations would be October 8. The election, if there is more than one candidate, will take place on October 17, while counting of votes, if necessary, and the counting of votes and the declaration of results would be on October 19. Vladimir Putin announces partial mobilisation for Russian citizens Russian President [Vladimir Putin on Wednesday announced a partial mobilisation in Russia]( as the war in Ukraine reaches nearly seven months and Moscow loses ground on the battlefield. Putin also warned the West that “it’s not a bluff” that Russia would use all the means at its disposal to protect its territory. The Russian leader’s televised address to the nation comes a day after Russian-controlled regions in eastern and southern Ukraine announced plans to hold votes on becoming integral parts of Russia. The Kremlin-backed efforts to swallow up four regions could set the stage for Moscow to escalate the war following Ukrainian successes. Putin accused the West in engaging in “nuclear blackmail” and noted “statements of some high-ranking representatives of the leading NATO states about the possibility of using nuclear weapons of mass destruction against Russia.” “To those who allow themselves such statements regarding Russia, I want to remind you that our country also has various means of destruction, and for separate components and more modern than those of NATO countries and when the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, to protect Russia and our people, we will certainly use all the means at our disposal,” Putin said. He added: “It’s not a bluff.” Putin said he has signed a decree on the partial mobilisation, which is due to start on Wednesday. “We are talking about partial mobilisation, that is, only citizens who are currently in the reserve will be subject to conscription, and above all, those who served in the armed forces, and have a certain military specialty and relevant experience,” Putin said. The referendums, which have been expected to take place since the first months of the war, will start on Friday in the Luhansk, Kherson and partly Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions. Putin said the decision to partially mobilise was “fully adequate to the threats we face, namely to protect our homeland, its sovereignty and territorial integrity, to ensure the security of our people and people in the liberated territories.” Earlier on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Russian plans to stage referendums in occupied regions in eastern and southern Ukraine as a “noise” and thanked Ukraine’s allies for condemning the votes scheduled to start Friday. Four Russian-controlled regions announced plans on Tuesday to start voting this week to become integral parts of Russia, which could set the stage for Moscow to escalate the war following Ukrainian successes on the battlefield. Former President Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia’s Security Council chaired by Putin, said referendums that fold regions into Russia itself would make redrawn frontiers “irreversible” and enable Moscow to use “any means” to defend them. In his nightly address, Zelenskyy said there were lots of questions surrounding the announcements but stressed that they would not change Ukraine’s commitment to retake areas occupied by Russian forces. “The situation on the front line clearly indicates that the initiative belongs to Ukraine,” he said. “Our positions do not change because of the noise or any announcements somewhere. And we enjoy the full support of our partners in this.” The upcoming votes, in the Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions are all but certain to go Moscow’s way. But they were quickly dismissed as illegitimate by Western leaders who are backing Kyiv with military and other support that has helped its forces seize momentum on battlefields in the east and south. “I thank all friends and partners of Ukraine for today’s mass principled firm condemnation of Russia’s attempts to stage new sham referenda,” Zelenskyy said. In another signal that Russia is digging in for a protracted and possibly ramped-up conflict, the Kremlin-controlled lower of house of parliament voted Tuesday to toughen laws against desertion, surrender and looting by Russian troops. Lawmakers also voted to introduce possible 10-year prison terms for soldiers refusing to fight. If approved, as expected, by the Upper House and then signed by Putin, the legislation would strengthen commanders’ hands against failing morale reported among soldiers. Duty of TV anchors is to prevent hate speech: Supreme Court The [Supreme Court on Wednesday said the role of TV anchors is critical]( in monitoring that their shows do not descend into a flurry of hate speech. The court said content on mainstream electronic media and social media remain largely unregulated. On TV, it is the duty of anchors to prevent hate speech. A Bench led by Justice K.M. Joseph said “we cannot give hate any air” on TV. The court wondered why the government continues to remain a mute spectator to hatred peddled in the electronic media. [Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot leaves after meeting Congress president Sonia Gandhi at 10, Janpath in New Delhi on September 21, 2022. ] The court was hearing a batch of petitions against the strident increase in volume of hate speech. The court posted the case for hearing on November 23. The Supreme Court has been consistent in its efforts to stop hate on TV. In January 2021, the then Chief Justice S.A. Bobde had said that arresting hate on TV was as essential for law and order as arming policemen with lathis and putting up barricades to prevent the spread of violence and riots. “Fair and truthful reporting normally is not a problem. The problem is when it [broadcast, programmes] is used to agitate others. There are broadcasts, programmes that definitely have the effect of instigating people, not just against one community, but any community... Why are you blind to them... You don’t do anything about it?” Justice Bobde had said. The court had at that instance been hearing a batch of petitions, including one filed by Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, which alleged that certain sections of the media communalised the Tablighi Jamat congregation by linking it to a spike in the spread of COVID-19 infection. No criminality found in intercepted conversations of Niira Radia: CBI tells Supreme Court The [Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday told the Supreme Court]( that no criminality has been found following an investigation into the intercepted conversations of the corporate lobbyist Niira Radia with some politicians, businessmen, media persons, and others. Taking note of the submissions of the probe agency, the top court directed it to file a status report on the matter. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the CBI, also told a three-judge bench headed by Justice D Y Chandrachud that the petition filed by industrialist Ratan Tata seeking protection of the right to privacy in view of the emergence of the Radia tapes may be disposed of in the light of the right to privacy judgement of the apex court. “I must inform you that the CBI was directed by your lordship to investigate all these conversations. Fourteen preliminary inquiries were registered and the report was placed before your lordships in a sealed cover. No criminality was found in those. Also, now there are phone-tapping guidelines in place,” Bhati said. The law officer said nothing remains in the matter after the privacy judgement. The bench, also comprising Justices Hima Kohli and P.S. Narasimha, said it will hear the matter after the Dussehra vacation as there is a Constitution Bench next week. “Meanwhile, the CBI may file an updated status report,” said the bench and posted the matter for the next hearing on October 12. At the outset, the counsel, appearing for Tata, sought an adjournment. The counsel for the petitioner informed the apex court that there is another petition filed by NGO Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL), which had sought that these transcripts be made public in the larger public interest. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the CPIL, said Radia was a corporate lobbyist for two of the most important companies and there were attempts to influence public persons, etc., which was revealed. The apex court in 2013 directed a CBI inquiry into six issues arising out of the analysis of corporate lobbyist Niira Radia’s taped conversations. “Radia’s conversations reveal deep-rooted malice by private enterprises in connivance with government officials for extraneous purposes,” the top court had said. The top court was hearing Tata’s petition seeking action against those involved in the leakage of the tapes alleging the leakage amounts to infringement of his fundamental right to life, which includes the right to privacy under Article 21 of the Constitution. He had contended that as a corporate lobbyist Radia’s phone was tapped for probing alleged tax evasion and the tapes cannot be used for any other purpose. The conversations were recorded as part of surveillance of Radia’s phone on a complaint to the Finance Minister on November 16, 2007, alleging that within nine years she had built up a business empire worth ₹300 crore. The government had recorded 180 days of Radia’s conversations -- first from August 20, 2008, for 60 days and then from October 19 for another 60 days. Later, on May 11, 2009, her phone was again put on surveillance for another 60 days following a fresh order. In Brief: The [Asian Development Bank (ADB) has pared its 2022-23 growth projection]( for India’s economy to 7% from 7.5% estimated in April, terming it a “modest downward revision” driven by higher-than-anticipated inflation and monetary tightening. The Bank also raised its inflation forecast for India to 6.7% for this year, while widening its current account deficit (CAD) estimate to 3.8% of GDP. The CAD is expected to drop to 2.1% of GDP in 2023-24 while inflation will moderate to 5.8% as demand pressures from strengthening economic activity are tamped down by easing supply bottlenecks, the Bank reckoned. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. 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