The Evening Wrap: Congress promises caste census, farm loan waiver in Chhattisgarh

The ruling Congress on November 5 launched its manifesto for the Chhattisgarh Assembly polls, promising loan waivers for farmers, ₹3,200 per quintal for paddy and subsidised cooking gas cylinders for women. Free education from kindergarten to post graduation in government colleges, 200 units of free electricity, 17.5 lakh houses for the rural poor, ₹6,000 per bag for tendu leaves and a caste census were also promised in the ‘Bharose ka Ghosna Patra (manifesto of trust) 2023-28’ launched on the last day of campaigning for the first phase of the polls. The document was unveiled at six different places with Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel releasing it in Rajnandgaon and the party’s Chhattisgarh in-charge Kumari Selja in State capital Raipur. The party had made 17 promises at various stages of the campaign earlier, while the Opposition BJP released its manifesto two days ago. Some of the Congress promises, including paddy prices, have been revised upwards from the announcements made earlier. While it had earlier said that it would give ₹3,000 per quintal of paddy procured from farmers, the party kept the rate at ₹3,200 per quintal in the formal manifesto, taking it ahead of the BJP, which promises to pay ₹3,100 per quintal. In its manifesto, the party has announced that the landless will receive ₹10,000 per year, up from the ₹7,000 they are getting under the Rajiv Gandhi Landless Agricultural Labourer Justice Scheme. Laying out its vision for education, the party also promised to convert all government schools into Swami Atmanand schools, where the State has upgraded infrastructure and is offering quality education in English and Hindi. Baghel said that a Mahtari Nyay Yojana would be launched for women, under which a subsidy of ₹500 per cooking gas cylinder would be given to women of all income groups. The subsidy will be directly deposited into the bank accounts of women, he said. Draft reports on bills to replace criminal laws likely to be adopted on November 6 A parliamentary committee scrutinising three bills to replace the existing criminal laws will meet on November 6 to adopt draft reports, days after some opposition members had sought an extension for the panel to go through the measures in greater detail. On October 27, the standing committee on Home could not adopt the three draft reports as some opposition members pressed for more time to study it. Some opposition members had urged panel chairperson Brij Lal to seek an extension of three months in its tenure and “stop bulldozing these bills for short-term electoral gain”. For making a robust legislation that serves the marginalised, the committee should not adopt a final report in the next few days or in November. “We will be mocking the process of legislative scrutiny if we do so,” an opposition MP had said in a communication, according to opposition sources. However, BJP sources said the committee has engaged in an extensive consultation process and will meet its deadline of three months. The committee will now meet on November 6, according to a notice sent to members for adopting the three drafts. Sources said the panel may adopt the draft reports despite protests by some of its members from the opposition parties. Sources have said that the committee is likely to recommend a raft of amendments in the three bills but will be sticking to their Hindi names, something fiercely contested by some opposition MPs. BJP expels Rajasthan leader Sandeep Dayma for hate speech The BJP on November 5 expelled its Rajasthan leader Sandeep Dayma, who was at the centre of a controversy for making a hate remark. Dayma was expelled from the primary membership of the party for making a statement against the party’s ideology, said BJP disciplinary committee head Onkar Singh Lakhawat. The decision came after senior BJP leader and former Punjab CM Amarinder Singh and other party members had demanded strict action against Dayma for his hate remarks about “mosques and gurdwaras”. BJP members, led by State Mahila Morcha president Jai Inder Kaur, submitted a complaint at the Sector 39 police station in Chandigarh against Dayma. The complaint said Dayma’s remarks had created an atmosphere of insecurity and hurt the religious sentiments of people. On November 4, Capt. Amarinder Singh said, “People like Dayma, who speak mindlessly and make vicious statements should have no place in a party like the BJP.” Recently, Dayma, during an election rally in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Rajasthan’s Tijara Assembly constituency, said, “if the BJP comes to power, mosques and gurdwaras would be uprooted.” This led to widespread criticism and Dayma tendered an apology. There was a furore even after his apology where he said that during the rally what he wanted to say was that ‘masjid (mosques)-madrasas’ would be uprooted, but somehow, he stated gurdwara also. Amit Shah calls caste-based survey report an eyewash, accuses Lalu and Nitish of Muslim appeasement Union Home Minister Amit Shah on his first visit to Bihar after the release of caste-based survey report came down heavily on State Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad, accusing the government of engaging in politics of Muslim appeasement. “To confuse the people of Bihar, the alliance recently released the caste-based survey in which the populations of Yadav and Muslim have been increased and the population of EBC (Extremely Backward Classes) has been decreased. Don’t fall into their trap. This is an injustice with the EBC and backward people,” Shah said, while addressing a rally in Muzaffarpur district of Bihar. Muzaffarpur falls under Tirhut division of Bihar, which covers six districts, having a large vote bank of people from upper castes, OBCs and EBCs. Earlier, Shah had visited Purnea, Munger, Kishanganj, Saran and Madhubani districts. He termed caste-based survey an eyewash. He also dared Lalu Prasad to name an EBC candidate for the post of Prime Minister in the INDIA bloc as their numbers are highest in the survey report. Shah accused that whenever people of Bihar have voted, Nitish Kumar has cheated the mandate by switching sides. He claimed that the RJD and the JD(U) are running family politics in which one wants to become Prime Minister and another one wants his son to be the Chief Minister. Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav called Shah’s speech ‘nonsense’, saying that if there is a fault in caste-based survey report then the Centre should do it on its own. Delhi’s air pollution | Air quality in ‘severe plus’ category again; Primary schools shut till November 10 A toxic haze lingered over Delhi for the sixth consecutive day on November 5 as pollution levels once again reached the severe plus category due to unfavourable wind conditions, particularly calm winds during the night. The air quality index deteriorated from 415 at 4 p.m. on November 4 to 460 at 7 a.m. on November 5. Under the Centre’s air pollution control plan, all emergency measures, including a ban on polluting trucks, commercial four-wheelers, and all types of construction, are mandated to be initiated and enforced in the National Capital Region if the AQI crosses the 450-mark. The concentration of PM2.5, fine particulate matter capable of penetrating deep into the respiratory system and triggering health problems, exceeded the government-prescribed safe limit of 60 micrograms per cubic metre by seven to eight times at multiple locations throughout Delhi-NCR. It was 80 to 100 times the healthy limit of 5 micrograms per cubic meter set by the WHO. All primary schools in the national capital will remain shut till November 10 in view of rising pollution levels in the city, Delhi Education Minister Atishi announced. For classes 6 to 12, schools have the option of teaching online. Air quality in Delhi-NCR declined over the past week due to a gradual drop in temperatures, calm winds that trap pollution, and a surge in post-harvest paddy straw burning across Punjab and Haryana. Unfavourable meteorological conditions, combined with emissions from vehicles, paddy straw burning, firecrackers, and other local pollution sources, contribute to hazardous air quality levels in Delhi-NCR during the winter every year. Israeli Minister says nuking Gaza ‘an option’, suspended by Netanyahu An Israeli Minister from the far-right Otzma Yehudit party on November 5 said that dropping an atomic bomb on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip was “an option”, prompting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to suspend him from government meetings indefinitely. In a radio interview, Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said that “there are no non-combatants in Gaza” and providing humanitarian aid to the Strip would constitute “a failure”. When asked if there are no non-combatants in Gaza in his view then if a nuclear attack on the Gaza Strip is “an option”, Eliyahu responded, “That’s one way.” His remarks infuriated members of both the ruling coalition and the Opposition, evoking calls to fire him from the government. Following the uproar, Eliyahu backtracked from his statement, calling it a “metaphorical” remark. “It’s clear to anyone with a brain that the remark about the atom was metaphorical. We indeed must display a forceful and disproportional response to terror, which will clarify to the Nazis and their supporters that terrorism isn’t worthwhile. This is the only formula with which democracies can deal with terror,” he said. “Simultaneously, it is clear that the State of Israel is obligated to do everything to return the captives alive and in good health,” Eliyahu wrote in a bid to defuse tensions. Eliyahu is not a part of the security cabinet involved in the wartime decision-making, nor does he hold sway over the war cabinet directing the war against Islamist Hamas, Netanyahu’s office said. Taking to X, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant called Eliyahu’s statements “baseless” and said that it’s “good that these aren’t the people in charge of Israel’s security”. Hostage situation at Hamburg Airport ends with man in custody and 4-year-old daughter safe The hostage situation at Hamburg Airport ended on November 5, around 18 hours after a man drove his vehicle through the gates of the airport with his four-year-old daughter inside, authorities said. The man was arrested and the girl appears to be unharmed. Hamburg police said in a post on X that “the hostage situation is over. The suspect has left the car with his daughter.... The child appears to be unharmed.” Police also said that “the man was arrested by the emergency services without resistance.” The airport in the northern German city had been closed to passengers and flights cancelled since November 4 night when the man, who was armed, broke through an airport gate with his vehicle and fired twice into the air with a weapon, according to German news agency dpa. The man drove the vehicle just outside a terminal building and parked it under a plane. Authorities said the man’s wife had previously contacted them about a child abduction. Police said that the 35-year-old man had his daughter inside the car after reportedly taking her by force from the mother in a possible custody battle. A psychologist had been negotiating with the man for 18 hours. Nobody was injured during the stand-off after all passengers had evacuated the airport, police said. More than 100 flights were cancelled and several planes were rerouted. Thousands of travellers have been affected by the standoff and hundreds were put up at hotels close by. In Brief: Virat Kohli hit a record-equalling 49th ODI century while Ravindra Jadeja took a five-wicket haul as India crushed South Africa by 243 runs to record their eighth World Cup win in Kolkata on November 5. Kohli, who turned 35 on Sunday, struck 101 not out off 121 balls — this put him at par with Sachin Tendulkar — and shared a 134-run partnership with Shreyas Iyer (77) to take India to an imposing 326 for five. Then Jadeja (5/33) Mohammed Shami (2/18), and Kuldeep Yadav (2/7) bowled superb spells to dismiss the Proteas for 83 in 27.1 overs. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 05 November 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]( Chhattisgarh Assembly polls | Congress promises loan waiver for farmers, caste census, free education in manifesto The ruling [Congress on November 5 launched its manifesto for the Chhattisgarh Assembly polls]( promising loan waivers for farmers, ₹3,200 per quintal for paddy and subsidised cooking gas cylinders for women. Free education from kindergarten to post graduation in government colleges, 200 units of free electricity, 17.5 lakh houses for the rural poor, ₹6,000 per bag for tendu leaves and a caste census were also promised in the ‘Bharose ka Ghosna Patra (manifesto of trust) 2023-28’ launched on the last day of campaigning for the first phase of the polls. The document was unveiled at six different places with Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel releasing it in Rajnandgaon and the party’s Chhattisgarh in-charge Kumari Selja in State capital Raipur. The party had made 17 promises at various stages of the campaign earlier, while the Opposition BJP released its manifesto two days ago. Some of the Congress promises, including paddy prices, have been revised upwards from the announcements made earlier. While it had earlier said that it would give ₹3,000 per quintal of paddy procured from farmers, the party kept the rate at ₹3,200 per quintal in the formal manifesto, taking it ahead of the BJP, which promises to pay ₹3,100 per quintal. In its manifesto, the party has announced that the landless will receive ₹10,000 per year, up from the ₹7,000 they are getting under the Rajiv Gandhi Landless Agricultural Labourer Justice Scheme. Laying out its vision for education, the party also promised to convert all government schools into Swami Atmanand schools, where the State has upgraded infrastructure and is offering quality education in English and Hindi. Baghel said that a Mahtari Nyay Yojana would be launched for women, under which a subsidy of ₹500 per cooking gas cylinder would be given to women of all income groups. The subsidy will be directly deposited into the bank accounts of women, he said. Draft reports on bills to replace criminal laws likely to be adopted on November 6 [A parliamentary committee scrutinising three bills to replace the existing criminal laws will meet on November 6 to adopt draft reports]( days after some opposition members had sought an extension for the panel to go through the measures in greater detail. On October 27, the standing committee on Home could not adopt the three draft reports as some opposition members pressed for more time to study it. Some opposition members had urged panel chairperson Brij Lal to seek an extension of three months in its tenure and “stop bulldozing these bills for short-term electoral gain”. For making a robust legislation that serves the marginalised, the committee should not adopt a final report in the next few days or in November. “We will be mocking the process of legislative scrutiny if we do so,” an opposition MP had said in a communication, according to opposition sources. However, BJP sources said the committee has engaged in an extensive consultation process and will meet its deadline of three months. The committee will now meet on November 6, according to a notice sent to members for adopting the three drafts. Sources said the panel may adopt the draft reports despite protests by some of its members from the opposition parties. Sources have said that the committee is likely to recommend a raft of amendments in the three bills but will be sticking to their Hindi names, something fiercely contested by some opposition MPs. BJP expels Rajasthan leader Sandeep Dayma for hate speech The [BJP on November 5 expelled its Rajasthan leader Sandeep Dayma]( who was at the centre of a controversy for making a hate remark. Dayma was expelled from the primary membership of the party for making a statement against the party’s ideology, said BJP disciplinary committee head Onkar Singh Lakhawat. The decision came after senior BJP leader and former Punjab CM Amarinder Singh and other party members had demanded strict action against Dayma for his hate remarks about “mosques and gurdwaras”. BJP members, led by State Mahila Morcha president Jai Inder Kaur, submitted a complaint at the Sector 39 police station in Chandigarh against Dayma. The complaint said Dayma’s remarks had created an atmosphere of insecurity and hurt the religious sentiments of people. On November 4, Capt. Amarinder Singh said, “People like Dayma, who speak mindlessly and make vicious statements should have no place in a party like the BJP.” Recently, Dayma, during an election rally in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Rajasthan’s Tijara Assembly constituency, said, “if the BJP comes to power, mosques and gurdwaras would be uprooted.” This led to widespread criticism and Dayma tendered an apology. There was a furore even after his apology where he said that during the rally what he wanted to say was that ‘masjid (mosques)-madrasas’ would be uprooted, but somehow, he stated gurdwara also. Amit Shah calls caste-based survey report an eyewash, accuses Lalu and Nitish of Muslim appeasement Union Home Minister [Amit Shah on his first visit to Bihar after the release of caste-based survey report]( came down heavily on State Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad, accusing the government of engaging in politics of Muslim appeasement. “To confuse the people of Bihar, the alliance recently released the caste-based survey in which the populations of Yadav and Muslim have been increased and the population of EBC (Extremely Backward Classes) has been decreased. Don’t fall into their trap. This is an injustice with the EBC and backward people,” Shah said, while addressing a rally in Muzaffarpur district of Bihar. Muzaffarpur falls under Tirhut division of Bihar, which covers six districts, having a large vote bank of people from upper castes, OBCs and EBCs. Earlier, Shah had visited Purnea, Munger, Kishanganj, Saran and Madhubani districts. He termed caste-based survey an eyewash. He also dared Lalu Prasad to name an EBC candidate for the post of Prime Minister in the INDIA bloc as their numbers are highest in the survey report. Shah accused that whenever people of Bihar have voted, Nitish Kumar has cheated the mandate by switching sides. He claimed that the RJD and the JD(U) are running family politics in which one wants to become Prime Minister and another one wants his son to be the Chief Minister. Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav called Shah’s speech ‘nonsense’, saying that if there is a fault in caste-based survey report then the Centre should do it on its own. Delhi’s air pollution | Air quality in ‘severe plus’ category again; Primary schools shut till November 10 [A toxic haze lingered over Delhi for the sixth consecutive day on November 5 as pollution levels once again reached the severe plus category]( due to unfavourable wind conditions, particularly calm winds during the night. The air quality index deteriorated from 415 at 4 p.m. on November 4 to 460 at 7 a.m. on November 5. Under the Centre’s air pollution control plan, all emergency measures, including a ban on polluting trucks, commercial four-wheelers, and all types of construction, are mandated to be initiated and enforced in the National Capital Region if the AQI crosses the 450-mark. The concentration of PM2.5, fine particulate matter capable of penetrating deep into the respiratory system and triggering health problems, exceeded the government-prescribed safe limit of 60 micrograms per cubic metre by seven to eight times at multiple locations throughout Delhi-NCR. It was 80 to 100 times the healthy limit of 5 micrograms per cubic meter set by the WHO. All primary schools in the national capital will remain shut till November 10 in view of rising pollution levels in the city, Delhi Education Minister Atishi announced. For classes 6 to 12, schools have the option of teaching online. Air quality in Delhi-NCR declined over the past week due to a gradual drop in temperatures, calm winds that trap pollution, and a surge in post-harvest paddy straw burning across Punjab and Haryana. Unfavourable meteorological conditions, combined with emissions from vehicles, paddy straw burning, firecrackers, and other local pollution sources, contribute to hazardous air quality levels in Delhi-NCR during the winter every year. Israeli Minister says nuking Gaza ‘an option’, suspended by Netanyahu An [Israeli Minister from the far-right Otzma Yehudit party on November 5 said that dropping an atomic bomb on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip was “an option”]( prompting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to suspend him from government meetings indefinitely. In a radio interview, Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said that “there are no non-combatants in Gaza” and providing humanitarian aid to the Strip would constitute “a failure”. When asked if there are no non-combatants in Gaza in his view then if a nuclear [attack on the Gaza Strip]( is “an option”, Eliyahu responded, “That’s one way.” His remarks infuriated members of both the ruling coalition and the Opposition, evoking calls to fire him from the government. Following the uproar, Eliyahu backtracked from his statement, calling it a “metaphorical” remark. “It’s clear to anyone with a brain that the remark about the atom was metaphorical. We indeed must display a forceful and disproportional response to terror, which will clarify to the Nazis and their supporters that terrorism isn’t worthwhile. This is the only formula with which democracies can deal with terror,” he said. “Simultaneously, it is clear that the State of Israel is obligated to do everything to return the captives alive and in good health,” Eliyahu wrote in a bid to defuse tensions. Eliyahu is not a part of the security cabinet involved in the wartime decision-making, nor does he hold sway over the war cabinet directing the war against Islamist Hamas, Netanyahu’s office said. Taking to X, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant called Eliyahu’s statements “baseless” and said that it’s “good that these aren’t the people in charge of Israel’s security”. Hostage situation at Hamburg Airport ends with man in custody and 4-year-old daughter safe The [hostage situation at Hamburg Airport ended on November 5, around 18 hours after a man drove his vehicle through the gates of the airport with his four-year-old daughter inside]( authorities said. The man was arrested and the girl appears to be unharmed. Hamburg police said in a post on X that “the hostage situation is over. The suspect has left the car with his daughter. ... The child appears to be unharmed.” Police also said that “the man was arrested by the emergency services without resistance.” The airport in the northern German city had been closed to passengers and flights cancelled since November 4 night when the man, who was armed, broke through an airport gate with his vehicle and fired twice into the air with a weapon, according to German news agency dpa. The man drove the vehicle just outside a terminal building and parked it under a plane. Authorities said the man’s wife had previously contacted them about a child abduction. Police said that the 35-year-old man had his daughter inside the car after reportedly taking her by force from the mother in a possible custody battle. A psychologist had been negotiating with the man for 18 hours. Nobody was injured during the stand-off after all passengers had evacuated the airport, police said. More than 100 flights were cancelled and several planes were rerouted. Thousands of travellers have been affected by the standoff and hundreds were put up at hotels close by. In Brief: [Virat Kohli hit a record-equalling 49th ODI century while Ravindra Jadeja took a five-wicket haul as India crushed South Africa by 243 runs to record their eighth World Cup win]( in Kolkata on November 5. Kohli, who turned 35 on Sunday, struck 101 not out off 121 balls — this put him at par with Sachin Tendulkar — and shared a 134-run partnership with Shreyas Iyer (77) to take India to an imposing 326 for five. Then Jadeja (5/33) Mohammed Shami (2/18), and Kuldeep Yadav (2/7) bowled superb spells to dismiss the Proteas for 83 in 27.1 overs. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. 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