The Evening Wrap: NCP sacks Praful Patel, Tatkare

A day after the vertical split in his party, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar on July 3 announced the expulsion of MPs Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare for their “anti-party activities”. Both, Mr. Patel and Mr. Tatkare, once trusted lieutenants of the Maratha strongman, have sided with the newly sworn-in Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar, in his rebellion. The action comes after the party’s national president and Baramati MP Supriya Sule recommended disciplinary action against the two MPs for “indulging in anti-party activities by facilitating and spearheading” Sunday’s swearing-in of nine NCP MLAs, including Mr. Ajit Pawar, as State Cabinet Ministers in the Eknath Shinde government. Mr. Tatkare’s daughter, Aditi Sunil Tatkare, was among the Ministers who took oath. Top NCP leaders have alleged that Mr. Patel, a former Union Minister, “struck a deal” between Mr. Ajit Pawar and the BJP, and engineered the coup in the party, which was founded by Mr. Sharad Pawar in 1999. “I, as the National President, of Nationalist Congress Party hereby order the removal of the names of Shri Sunil Tatkare and Shri Praful Patel from the Register of Members of NCP Party for anti-party activities,” the 82-year-old NCP patriarch tweeted, tagging Mr. Patel and Mr. Tatkare. In his letter, Mr. Sharad Pawar informed the two MPs of their disqualification from the primary membership of the party, and asked them to refrain from misrepresenting before any forum that they had any association with the NCP. “Any such act of misrepresentation would be absolutely unlawful and illegal,” he said. Supreme Court’s Constitution Bench to take up petitions challenging abrogation of special status under Article 370 on July 11 A Constitution Bench led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud will take up on July 11 a series of petitions challenging the dilution of Article 370 of the Constitution, which deprived Jammu and Kashmir of its special privileges and led to the bifurcation of the State in 2019. The five-judge Bench, besides the CJI, would have Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjeev Khanna, B.R. Gavai and Surya Kant as Associate Judges. The five judges are the senior most in the court and also members of the Supreme Court Collegium. Justices Khanna, Gavai and Kant are in line to be CJIs as per seniority norm in the future. The case was last mentioned by the petitioners on February 17 for early listing and the CJI had agreed to give a specific date for the hearing. The Article 370 case has been pending in the Supreme Court for over two years. The case had not come up after a five-judge Bench refused to refer the petitions to a larger Bench in March 2020. The petitions have challenged a Presidential Order of August 5, 2019 which blunted Article 370. The Article had accorded special rights and privileges to the people of J&K since 1954 in accordance with the Instrument of Accession. The special status was bestowed on J&K by incorporating Article 35A in the Constitution. Article 35A was incorporated by an order of President Rajendra Prasad in 1954 on the advice of the Jawaharlal Nehru Cabinet. The Parliament was not consulted when the President incorporated Article 35A into the Constitution through a Presidential Order issued under Article 370. PM Modi to host virtual summit of SCO on July 4; Putin, Xi and Shehbaz Sharif to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi will ‘virtually host’ Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif and Central Asian Presidents as India chairs the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Council of Heads of State (SCO-CHS) on Tuesday for the first time. Sources say four outcomes will be adopted at the Summit, including the “New Delhi Declaration”, and two joint statements on countering radicalism and on digital transformation. In addition, an agreement on economic cooperation initiatives is being negotiated, although it is unclear whether all countries, especially India will sign on to it, given past differences with China over the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The virtual summit, originally planned as an in-person summit for the leaders in Delhi, has now been truncated to a single session via videoconferencing that will last just over two hours on Tuesday afternoon- from 12.30 pm to 2.45 p.m. Much of the time will be taken up by pre-drafted opening remarks and final statements. Iran is expected to be inducted as a member of the SCO, while the process for Belarus, a key ally of Russia, is underway and expected to be completed next year. While officials said the declaration itself would be “substantive”, and had come after India hosted at least 140 SCO events and 14 Ministerial meetings since September 2022, when it took over the chair, diplomats from SCO countries said that there was considerable disappointment about the summit not being held in person. Manipur highway blockade lifted after Kuki groups assured of settlement of political demands The 60-day blockade of the Dimapur-Imphal National Highway-2 was lifted on July 3 after a representative of the Union government assured Kuki groups that their political demands can only be addressed and settled by the government. The Kuki groups and BJP MLAs have been demanding separate administration since the violence erupted on May 3. The decision to lift the roadblocks was announced after a 19-member team comprising Kuki-Zo civil society organisations and representatives of the United People’s Front (UPF), and the Kuki National Organisation (KNO), the umbrella group of 24 Kuki insurgent groups that are part of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) pact with the government, met a senior Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) functionary in Assam’s Kaziranga on June 30. On Sunday, after the UPF and the KNO announced that they have decided to lift the blockade at Kangpokpi on NH-2 with immediate effect to ensure uninterrupted supply of essential commodities in the State, there was massive resistance from the local residents. According to a message circulated among the community members on Monday, it was said that only the Union government can bring in a political settlement and it wanted to usher in “relative peace” in order to resume political talks to work out the demand for separate administration with the SoO groups. Maharashtra events have strengthened our resolve to fight the BJP, says Opposition; next meet to be held on July 17 and 18 A day after the vertical split in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra, the Congress on Monday announced that the next Opposition meet would take place in Bengaluru on July 17 and 18. The announcement was meant to convey that the Opposition parties would not be deterred by the developments in Maharashtra and it had only strengthened their resolve to come together. “After a hugely successful All-Opposition meeting in Patna, we will be holding the next meeting in Bengaluru on 17 and 18 July, 2023. We are steadfast in our unwavering resolve to defeat the fascist and undemocratic forces and present a bold vision to take the country forward,” tweeted Congress general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal. The Bengaluru meet, sources indicated, is likely to focus on possible Opposition-ruled States where “Operation Lotus” could be carried out. A perception has gained ground that the Janata Dal (United) could also meet a similar fate as Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar held one-on-one meetings with JD(U) MPs on Sunday. In brief: Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot said corruption is institutionalised in the system, and eradicating it remains as a major challenge. In his customary address to members of the both Houses of the Karnataka legislature on July 2, the Governor said, “Corruption has become so entrenched in our system that for many reasons it has become almost institutionalised. Eradicating it is a major challenge. The government would take all necessary administrative and legislative measures to check corruption.” Corruption was one of major poll planks of the Congress in the Assembly elections. The Manipur Government insisted in the Supreme Court on July 3 that the situation in the State is “improving, though slowly” a day after fresh violence erupted with at least four people being killed. A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud ordered the State Government to file an updated status report detailing the actual situation on the ground before July 10, the next day of hearing. [logo] The Evening Wrap 03 July 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]( Maharashtra political crisis | NCP sacks Praful Patel, Tatkare A day after the vertical split in his party, [Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar on July 3]( announced the expulsion of MPs Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare for their “anti-party activities”. Both, Mr. Patel and Mr. Tatkare, once trusted lieutenants of the Maratha strongman, have sided with the newly sworn-in Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar, in his rebellion. The action comes after the party’s national president and Baramati MP Supriya Sule recommended disciplinary action against the two MPs for “indulging in anti-party activities by facilitating and spearheading” Sunday’s swearing-in of nine NCP MLAs, including Mr. Ajit Pawar, as State Cabinet Ministers in the Eknath Shinde government. Mr. Tatkare’s daughter, Aditi Sunil Tatkare, was among the Ministers who took oath. Top NCP leaders have alleged that Mr. Patel, a former Union Minister, “struck a deal” between Mr. Ajit Pawar and the BJP, and engineered the coup in the party, which was founded by Mr. Sharad Pawar in 1999. “I, as the National President, of Nationalist Congress Party hereby order the removal of the names of Shri Sunil Tatkare and Shri Praful Patel from the Register of Members of NCP Party for anti-party activities,” the 82-year-old NCP patriarch tweeted, tagging Mr. Patel and Mr. Tatkare. In his letter, Mr. Sharad Pawar informed the two MPs of their disqualification from the primary membership of the party, and asked them to refrain from misrepresenting before any forum that they had any association with the NCP. “Any such act of misrepresentation would be absolutely unlawful and illegal,” he said. Supreme Court’s Constitution Bench to take up petitions challenging abrogation of special status under Article 370 on July 11 [A Constitution Bench led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud will take up on July 11 a series of petitions]( challenging the dilution of Article 370 of the Constitution, which deprived Jammu and Kashmir of its special privileges and led to the bifurcation of the State in 2019. The five-judge Bench, besides the CJI, would have Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjeev Khanna, B.R. Gavai and Surya Kant as Associate Judges. The five judges are the senior most in the court and also members of the Supreme Court Collegium. Justices Khanna, Gavai and Kant are in line to be CJIs as per seniority norm in the future. The case was last mentioned by the petitioners on February 17 for early listing and the CJI had agreed to give a specific date for the hearing. The Article 370 case has been pending in the Supreme Court for over two years. The case had not come up after a five-judge Bench refused to refer the petitions to a larger Bench in March 2020. The petitions have challenged a Presidential Order of August 5, 2019 which blunted Article 370. The Article had accorded special rights and privileges to the people of J&K since 1954 in accordance with the Instrument of Accession. The special status was bestowed on J&K by incorporating Article 35A in the Constitution. Article 35A was incorporated by an order of President Rajendra Prasad in 1954 on the advice of the Jawaharlal Nehru Cabinet. The Parliament was not consulted when the President incorporated Article 35A into the Constitution through a Presidential Order issued under Article 370. PM Modi to host virtual summit of SCO on July 4; Putin, Xi and Shehbaz Sharif to attend [Prime Minister Narendra Modi will ‘virtually host]( Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif and Central Asian Presidents as India chairs the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Council of Heads of State (SCO-CHS) on Tuesday for the first time. Sources say four outcomes will be adopted at the Summit, including the “New Delhi Declaration”, and two joint statements on countering radicalism and on digital transformation. In addition, an agreement on economic cooperation initiatives is being negotiated, although it is unclear whether all countries, especially India will sign on to it, given past differences with China over the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The virtual summit, originally planned as an in-person summit for the leaders in Delhi, has now been truncated to a single session via videoconferencing that will last just over two hours on Tuesday afternoon- from 12.30 pm to 2.45 p.m. Much of the time will be taken up by pre-drafted opening remarks and final statements. Iran is expected to be inducted as a member of the SCO, while the process for Belarus, a key ally of Russia, is underway and expected to be completed next year. While officials said the declaration itself would be “substantive”, and had come after India hosted at least 140 SCO events and 14 Ministerial meetings since September 2022, when it took over the chair, diplomats from SCO countries said that there was considerable disappointment about the summit not being held in person. Manipur highway blockade lifted after Kuki groups assured of settlement of political demands [The 60-day blockade of the Dimapur-Imphal National Highway-2 was lifted on July 3]( after a representative of the Union government assured Kuki groups that their political demands can only be addressed and settled by the government. The Kuki groups and BJP MLAs have been demanding separate administration since the violence erupted on May 3. The decision to lift the roadblocks was announced after a 19-member team comprising Kuki-Zo civil society organisations and representatives of the United People’s Front (UPF), and the Kuki National Organisation (KNO), the umbrella group of 24 Kuki insurgent groups that are part of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) pact with the government, met a senior Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) functionary in Assam’s Kaziranga on June 30. On Sunday, after the UPF and the KNO announced that they have decided to lift the blockade at Kangpokpi on NH-2 with immediate effect to ensure uninterrupted supply of essential commodities in the State, there was massive resistance from the local residents. According to a message circulated among the community members on Monday, it was said that only the Union government can bring in a political settlement and it wanted to usher in “relative peace” in order to resume political talks to work out the demand for separate administration with the SoO groups. Maharashtra events have strengthened our resolve to fight the BJP, says Opposition; next meet to be held on July 17 and 18 [A day after the vertical split in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra]( the Congress on Monday announced that the next Opposition meet would take place in Bengaluru on July 17 and 18. The announcement was meant to convey that the Opposition parties would not be deterred by the developments in Maharashtra and it had only strengthened their resolve to come together. “After a hugely successful All-Opposition meeting in Patna, we will be holding the next meeting in Bengaluru on 17 and 18 July, 2023. We are steadfast in our unwavering resolve to defeat the fascist and undemocratic forces and present a bold vision to take the country forward,” tweeted Congress general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal. The Bengaluru meet, sources indicated, is likely to focus on possible Opposition-ruled States where “Operation Lotus” could be carried out. A perception has gained ground that the Janata Dal (United) could also meet a similar fate as Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar held one-on-one meetings with JD(U) MPs on Sunday. In brief: [Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot said corruption is institutionalised]( in the system, and eradicating it remains as a major challenge. In his customary address to members of the both Houses of the Karnataka legislature on July 2, the Governor said, “Corruption has become so entrenched in our system that for many reasons it has become almost institutionalised. Eradicating it is a major challenge. The government would take all necessary administrative and legislative measures to check corruption.” Corruption was one of major poll planks of the Congress in the Assembly elections. [The Manipur Government insisted in the Supreme Court on July 3]( that the situation in the State is “improving, though slowly” a day after fresh violence erupted with at least four people being killed. A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud ordered the State Government to file an updated status report detailing the actual situation on the ground before July 10, the next day of hearing. 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