The Evening Wrap: Manik Saha gets second term as Tripura Chief Minister

Manik Saha was named as the next Chief Minister of the northeastern State of Tripura at a meeting of the BJP legislative party held here on Monday. A spokesperson of the BJP informed reporters after the meeting that the selection was unanimously endorsed by all MLAs of the party. Earlier, there was speculation that Saha, who was made the CM last year in a brand renewal exercise replacing Biplab Kumar Deb, may make way for Union minister Pratima Bhowmik as the Chief Minister of the sensitive border State. The swearing-in of the new Chief Minister will be held on March 8. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to be present at the event. In the recently held elections, the BJP won 32 seats of the 60-member Assembly while its ally — Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) — won one seat. Assam Chief Minister and NEDA head Himanta Biswa Sarma had visited the State on Sunday and held meetings with the Chief Minister and senior party colleagues on the possible formation of the next cabinet. Party sources said Sarma also had a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Sunday over the composition of the cabinet and its leader to ensure a smooth transition. BJP national president J.P. Nadda and Chief Ministers of several BJP-ruled States are expected to also join the swearing-in ceremony. PM Modi to attend Meghalaya Assembly swearing in on Tuesday; UDP allotted two Cabinet berths The United Democratic Party (UDP), a constant in every alliance government in Meghalaya since 2010 except for a five-year phase from 2013, has been allotted two berths in the Cabinet of the new five-party government to be headed by the National People’s Party (NPP). The alliance has a total of 45 MLAs, including two independents. The NPP has 26 MLAs followed by the UDP with 11, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP) and the People’s Democratic Front (PDF) with two each. After the newly-elected MLAs took the oath of office on Monday, Chief Minister-designate Conrad K. Sangma said his party, the NPP, would keep eight Cabinet berths. “We have decided to call ourselves the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance 2.0 since the partners are the same. We also decided that the Chief Minister will be the chairman of the alliance,” he said. “Out of the 12 Cabinet berths we can have (in the 60-member House), eight will be for the NPP, two for the UDP and one each for the BJP and the HSPDP,” Sangma said, adding that the berths have been distributed equitably between the State’s two major regions. “Eight Ministers will be from the Khasi-Jaintia Hills and four, including the CM, will be from the Garo Hills,” he said. Sangma added that the NPP leadership had proposed a name for the Speaker. “I shall be discussing the name with our alliance partners before an announcement is made.” The alliance partners would work out the common minimum programme after the swearing-in of the Ministers in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday, he said. The UDP and the PDF were late entrants in the NPP-led formation. The two parties had been part of a Trinamool Congress initiative to form an alternative government minus the NPP and the BJP but the plan failed when two MLAs of the HSPDP slipped away from the meeting on March 3 and submitted a letter of support to Sangma. Two days later, the UDP and the PDF also submitted their letters of support to Sangma, who handed them over to Governor Phagu Chauhan on Monday. Nagaland is likely to have an Opposition-less government with almost all the political parties extending unconditional support to the alliance of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and the BJP. The outgoing government also had no Opposition after the Naga People’s Front (NPF) joined the NDPP-BJP alliance in 2021. Apart from the NDPP and the BJP, which won a total of 37 seats in the 60-member House, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) won seven, the NPP five, the NPF, the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and the Republican Party of India (Athawale) two each, the Janata Dal (United) one and independents four. Nagaland has not had so many parties bagging Assembly seats before. The NDPP and the BJP elected Neiphiu Rio and Yanthungo Patton as their legislature party leaders respectively. The former would be the Chief Minister for the fifth time. The swearing-in of the new Nagaland government is scheduled on March 7. Delhi excise scam case: Delhi court sends Manish Sisodia to judicial custody till March 20 A Delhi court, on Monday, sent former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia to judicial custody till March 20 in the Delhi excise scam case. The CBI produced Sisodia before a city court in connection with the excise policy case. Sisodia was produced before special judge M.K. Nagpal on expiry of his seven-day custodial interrogation allowed by the court earlier. The CBI last week arrested Sisodia in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped liquor policy for 2021-22. AAP leaders and workers have been protesting against Sisodia’s arrest and have alleged that the “dictatorship” of the Narendra Modi-led Central government has reached its peak. Over 30 protesters were detained by the police and later released. The Aam Aadmi Party has claimed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was “mentally torturing” senior party leader Manish Sisodia and pressuring him to sign papers containing false charges. At the heart of the BJP’s ideology is ‘cowardice’, Rahul Gandhi says in London Launching a fresh attack on the BJP, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said that the ruling party follows “an ideology of hatred and violence”, and at the heart of their ideology is “cowardice.” Gandhi made the remarks during his interaction with the Indian diaspora organised by the Indian Overseas Congress (IOC) U.K. chapter on Sunday while referring to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s remarks on China during an interview. Referring to the BJP, the 52-year-old former Congress president said they have “an ideology of hatred and violence, a disrespectful ideology that attacks people because of their ideas. And you must have noticed one thing that this is in the nature of BJP and the RSS.” If you notice the statement of the Foreign Minister, he said China is much more powerful than us. To think China is more powerful than us, how can I pick a fight with them? At the heart of the ideology is cowardice,” he said, referring to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s remarks during an interview. Gandhi further said that Savarkar has written in his book that once he and his friends beat up a Muslim man and that day they felt great happiness. “So if five people beat up a man and one person is experiencing happiness, then this is cowardice only. If you want to fight then go fight single-handedly,” he added. No quota for converts, say outfits at conclave of RSS media wing Vishwa Samvad Kendra (VSK), the media wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), on the conclusion of its two-day conclave on ‘Conversion and Reservation’ on Sunday said the meet unanimously resolved that reservation should not be provided to converts. During the concluding session, former judge of Telangana High Court, Justice B. Shiva Shankar Rao (retired), said that conversion means “leaving one faith completely and adopting another”. “The definition on conversion says that you totally abandon the faith. And if you have left your faith, then why demand reservation and benefits given under it?” he questioned. According to a communique shared by organisers, seven retired judges, seven Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors of different universities, 30 prominent professors and lecturers, eight eminent lawyers, and more than 30 workers of various organisations, including VHP, RSS and its affiliated bodies, participated in the conclave held at Gautam Buddha University in Greater Noida. Padma Shri Milind Kamble, chairman of Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI), also addressed the participants on the last day of the conclave and said that the provision of reservation was made to give proper representation to those who had less representation. “However, those who converted to other religions snatched its benefits away from those who deserved it. They are eyeing it, even today,” he said adding that some people want to grab political power in the name of reservation to converts. “They should cry for reservation before the Minorities Commission instead of snatching it from us,” he further said. Surendra Jain, central joint general secretary of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) said that those seeking reservations for converted Dalits are not concerned about the welfare of Scheduled Castes but their aim is only to increase the population of their faith. “If they were concerned about SCs, they would have given SCs the benefit of reservation in their [minority] institutions and the benefit of scholarships given to the minorities,” he said adding that there should be a nationwide discussion on the issue of reservation for converts. Jain also announced that the VHP “will take this conclave pan-India” and appealed to educationists, jurists, and sociologists to bring the issue to the centre of discussion nationwide. Amid long-standing debate regarding whether SC status can be accorded to Dalit Christians and Muslims, the Union government in October 2022 formed a commission headed by former Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan to examine the issue. The media wing of RSS in partnership with VHP has also decided to submit the report of the conclave to the Commission. Arun Halder, Vice-Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), who was also a speaker on the last day of the conclave, said reservation was brought in to enable the progress of those exploited by the society. “Those who are backward in society can come forward with the help of caste-based reservation. This is why reservation was brought in. It would be wrong if the people who converted due to greed and pressure get reservation benefits,” he said. While presenting his paper, Prof. S.C. Sanjeev Rayppa said that cases of conversion will increase if converted persons get benefits of reservation, the Kendra’s communique added. In Brief: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday chaired a high-level meeting to review preparedness for the hot weather conditions during the upcoming summer season and called for preparing separate awareness material for different stake-holders like common citizens, medical professionals, local body authorities and disaster response teams. The PMO, in a statement, said PM Modi was briefed about the weather forecast for the next few months and on the likelihood of a normal monsoon and their impact on Rabi crops. The Food Corporation of India was asked take measures to ensure optimal storage of grains in extreme weather conditions, it said. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 06 March 2023 [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]( Manik Saha gets second term as Tripura Chief Minister [Manik Saha was named as the next Chief Minister of the northeastern State of Tripura]( at a meeting of the BJP legislative party held here on Monday. A spokesperson of the BJP informed reporters after the meeting that the selection was unanimously endorsed by all MLAs of the party. Earlier, there was speculation that Saha, who was made the CM last year in a brand renewal exercise replacing Biplab Kumar Deb, may make way for Union minister Pratima Bhowmik as the Chief Minister of the sensitive border State. The swearing-in of the new Chief Minister will be held on March 8. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to be present at the event. In the recently held elections, the BJP won 32 seats of the 60-member Assembly while its ally — Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) — won one seat. [Senior BJP leader Mahesh Sharma with party leader Manik Saha after the latter was named as the next Chief Minister of Tripura at a meeting of the BJP legislative party, in Agartala, on March 6, 2023.] Assam Chief Minister and NEDA head Himanta Biswa Sarma had visited the State on Sunday and held meetings with the Chief Minister and senior party colleagues on the possible formation of the next cabinet. Party sources said Sarma also had a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Sunday over the composition of the cabinet and its leader to ensure a smooth transition. BJP national president J.P. Nadda and Chief Ministers of several BJP-ruled States are expected to also join the swearing-in ceremony. PM Modi to attend Meghalaya Assembly swearing in on Tuesday; UDP allotted two Cabinet berths [The United Democratic Party (UDP), a constant in every alliance government in Meghalaya since 2010]( except for a five-year phase from 2013, has been allotted two berths in the Cabinet of the new five-party government to be headed by the National People’s Party (NPP). The alliance has a total of 45 MLAs, including two independents. The NPP has 26 MLAs followed by the UDP with 11, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP) and the People’s Democratic Front (PDF) with two each. After the newly-elected MLAs took the oath of office on Monday, Chief Minister-designate Conrad K. Sangma said his party, the NPP, would keep eight Cabinet berths. “We have decided to call ourselves the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance 2.0 since the partners are the same. We also decided that the Chief Minister will be the chairman of the alliance,” he said. “Out of the 12 Cabinet berths we can have (in the 60-member House), eight will be for the NPP, two for the UDP and one each for the BJP and the HSPDP,” Sangma said, adding that the berths have been distributed equitably between the State’s two major regions. “Eight Ministers will be from the Khasi-Jaintia Hills and four, including the CM, will be from the Garo Hills,” he said. Sangma added that the NPP leadership had proposed a name for the Speaker. “I shall be discussing the name with our alliance partners before an announcement is made.” The alliance partners would work out the common minimum programme after the swearing-in of the Ministers in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday, he said. The UDP and the PDF were late entrants in the NPP-led formation. The two parties had been part of a Trinamool Congress initiative to form an alternative government minus the NPP and the BJP but the plan failed when two MLAs of the HSPDP slipped away from the meeting on March 3 and submitted a letter of support to Sangma. Two days later, the UDP and the PDF also submitted their letters of support to Sangma, who handed them over to Governor Phagu Chauhan on Monday. Nagaland is likely to have an Opposition-less government with almost all the political parties extending unconditional support to the alliance of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and the BJP. The outgoing government also had no Opposition after the Naga People’s Front (NPF) joined the NDPP-BJP alliance in 2021. Apart from the NDPP and the BJP, which won a total of 37 seats in the 60-member House, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) won seven, the NPP five, the NPF, the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and the Republican Party of India (Athawale) two each, the Janata Dal (United) one and independents four. Nagaland has not had so many parties bagging Assembly seats before. The NDPP and the BJP elected Neiphiu Rio and Yanthungo Patton as their legislature party leaders respectively. The former would be the Chief Minister for the fifth time. The swearing-in of the new Nagaland government is scheduled on March 7. Delhi excise scam case: Delhi court sends Manish Sisodia to judicial custody till March 20 [A Delhi court, on Monday, sent former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia]( to judicial custody till March 20 in the Delhi excise scam case. The CBI produced Sisodia before a city court in connection with the excise policy case. Sisodia was produced before special judge M.K. Nagpal on expiry of his seven-day custodial interrogation allowed by the court earlier. The CBI last week arrested Sisodia in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped liquor policy for 2021-22. AAP leaders and workers have been protesting against Sisodia’s arrest and have alleged that the “dictatorship” of the Narendra Modi-led Central government has reached its peak. Over 30 protesters were detained by the police and later released. [AAP leader and former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia at Rouse Avenue Court in connection with the Delhi excise policy case, in New Delhi, on March 6, 2023.] The Aam Aadmi Party has claimed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was “mentally torturing” senior party leader Manish Sisodia and pressuring him to sign papers containing false charges. At the heart of the BJP’s ideology is ‘cowardice’, Rahul Gandhi says in London [Launching a fresh attack on the BJP, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi]( has said that the ruling party follows “an ideology of hatred and violence”, and at the heart of their ideology is “cowardice.” Gandhi made the remarks during his interaction with the Indian diaspora organised by the Indian Overseas Congress (IOC) U.K. chapter on Sunday while referring to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s remarks on China during an interview. Referring to the BJP, the 52-year-old former Congress president said they have “an ideology of hatred and violence, a disrespectful ideology that attacks people because of their ideas. And you must have noticed one thing that this is in the nature of BJP and the RSS.” If you notice the statement of the Foreign Minister, he said China is much more powerful than us. To think China is more powerful than us, how can I pick a fight with them? At the heart of the ideology is cowardice,” he said, referring to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s remarks during an interview. Gandhi further said that Savarkar has written in his book that once he and his friends beat up a Muslim man and that day they felt great happiness. “So if five people beat up a man and one person is experiencing happiness, then this is cowardice only. If you want to fight then go fight single-handedly,” he added. No quota for converts, say outfits at conclave of RSS media wing [Vishwa Samvad Kendra (VSK), the media wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)]( on the conclusion of its two-day conclave on ‘Conversion and Reservation’ on Sunday said the meet unanimously resolved that reservation should not be provided to converts. During the concluding session, former judge of Telangana High Court, Justice B. Shiva Shankar Rao (retired), said that conversion means “leaving one faith completely and adopting another”. “The definition on conversion says that you totally abandon the faith. And if you have left your faith, then why demand reservation and benefits given under it?” he questioned. According to a communique shared by organisers, seven retired judges, seven Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors of different universities, 30 prominent professors and lecturers, eight eminent lawyers, and more than 30 workers of various organisations, including VHP, RSS and its affiliated bodies, participated in the conclave held at Gautam Buddha University in Greater Noida. Padma Shri Milind Kamble, chairman of Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI), also addressed the participants on the last day of the conclave and said that the provision of reservation was made to give proper representation to those who had less representation. “However, those who converted to other religions snatched its benefits away from those who deserved it. They are eyeing it, even today,” he said adding that some people want to grab political power in the name of reservation to converts. “They should cry for reservation before the Minorities Commission instead of snatching it from us,” he further said. Surendra Jain, central joint general secretary of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) said that those seeking reservations for converted Dalits are not concerned about the welfare of Scheduled Castes but their aim is only to increase the population of their faith. “If they were concerned about SCs, they would have given SCs the benefit of reservation in their [minority] institutions and the benefit of scholarships given to the minorities,” he said adding that there should be a nationwide discussion on the issue of reservation for converts. Jain also announced that the VHP “will take this conclave pan-India” and appealed to educationists, jurists, and sociologists to bring the issue to the centre of discussion nationwide. Amid long-standing debate regarding whether SC status can be accorded to Dalit Christians and Muslims, the Union government in October 2022 formed a commission headed by former Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan to examine the issue. The media wing of RSS in partnership with VHP has also decided to submit the report of the conclave to the Commission. Arun Halder, Vice-Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), who was also a speaker on the last day of the conclave, said reservation was brought in to enable the progress of those exploited by the society. “Those who are backward in society can come forward with the help of caste-based reservation. This is why reservation was brought in. It would be wrong if the people who converted due to greed and pressure get reservation benefits,” he said. While presenting his paper, Prof. S.C. Sanjeev Rayppa said that cases of conversion will increase if converted persons get benefits of reservation, the Kendra’s communique added. In Brief: [Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday chaired a high-level meeting to review preparedness]( for the hot weather conditions during the upcoming summer season and called for preparing separate awareness material for different stake-holders like common citizens, medical professionals, local body authorities and disaster response teams. The PMO, in a statement, said PM Modi was briefed about the weather forecast for the next few months and on the likelihood of a normal monsoon and their impact on Rabi crops. The Food Corporation of India was asked take measures to ensure optimal storage of grains in extreme weather conditions, it said. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. First Day First Show Stay up-to-date on all things cinema with the "First Day First Show" cinema & entertainment newsletter. Every week, we bring you movie reviews, news from regional cinema, Bollywood, Hollywood, and beyond, as well as updates from the streaming platforms. 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