The Evening Wrap: Congress rushes observers to Himachal Pradesh

Following a dramatic Rajya Sabha election, which was marred by cross-voting and delivered the Congress-ruled State’s lone Rajya Sabha seat to the BJP candidate, the Himachal Pradesh government finds itself facing a political crisis. The Congress scrambled to save its government in Himachal Pradesh, amid dramatic developments that included the resignation of high-profile minister Vikramaditya Singh and the suspension of 15 BJP MLAs by the Speaker. The crisis was triggered by Tuesday’s cross-voting by six Congress MLAs in the Rajya Sabha election. In the afternoon, the crisis was staved off for now as the Finance Bill was passed by voice vote with no BJP member being present. Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania then adjourned the House sine die. Earlier in the morning, the Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, Jairam Thakur had met the Governor, pointing out that the BJP has urged for the division of votes on the cut motions in the ongoing Budget Session. The meetings come amid a buzz over the BJP bringing a motion of no-confidence in the Assembly against the Congress government in the State. Amid the political crisis in Himachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the conspiracy by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to bring down the Congress government in the hill State has failed. “The way they conspired to topple power in Himachal Pradesh with the CRPF, the Haryana Police, by sending helicopters has failed. The way they lured some MLAs by buying them has led to some MLAs siding with them. We’ve brought disqualification motion against them (Congress MLAs who voted for BJP candidate in Rajya Sabha polls) and hearing for the same is underway,” Sukhu said, speaking to reporters on Wednesday. Reliance, Disney sign binding pact to combine media businesses in India Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL), Viacom 18 Media Private Ltd. (which is majority-owned by RIL’s entity TV18 Broadcast), and The Walt Disney Company (Disney) have signed binding definitive agreements to form a joint venture (JV) which will combine the businesses of Viacom18 and Star India in India. Towards this Viacom18 will be merged into Star India Private Ltd. through a court-approved scheme of arrangement. Besides this RIL will invest at closing ₹11,500 crore into the JV for its growth strategy. “The transaction values the JV at ₹70,352 crore on a post-money basis, excluding synergies. After completion of the above steps, the JV will be controlled by RIL and owned 16.34% by RIL, 46.82% by Viacom18 and 36.84% by Disney,” the entities said in a joint statement. Subject to regulatory and third-party approvals, Disney may also contribute certain additional media assets to the JV. Nita Mukesh Ambani will be the chairperson of the JV and Uday Shankar, the former President of Walt Disney Asia Pacific, will be Vice Chairperson providing strategic guidance to the JV. The transaction is expected to be completed in the last quarter of calendar year 2024 or first quarter of calendar year 2025. The JV will be one of the leading TV and digital streaming platforms for entertainment and sports content in India, bringing together media assets across entertainment (Colors, StarPlus, StarGOLD) and sports (Star Sports and Sports18) including access to highly anticipated events across television and digital platforms through JioCinema and Hotstar, the companies said. The JV will have over 750 million viewers across India and will also cater to the Indian diaspora across the world, they said. Mukesh D Ambani, CMD RIL said, “This is a landmark agreement that heralds a new era in the Indian entertainment industry.” Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, said, “India is the world’s most populous market, and we are excited for the opportunities that this joint venture will provide to create long-term value for the company.” Uday Shankar, Co-founder, Bodhi Tree Systems, said, “We are privileged to be enhancing our relationship with Reliance to now also include Disney, a global leader in media & entertainment.” Maternity benefits | Differentiation not permissible between regular, contractual employees: Calcutta High Court Observing that no differentiation is permissible between regular and contractual employees on the question of a woman’s right to childbirth and maternity leave, the Calcutta High Court has directed the RBI to compensate an executive intern. The petitioner, who was employed on a contractual basis as an executive intern with RBI for a period of three years from August 16, 2011, moved the high court, questioning the failure on the part of the apex bank to allow maternity leave with pay to her for 180 days. Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury observed in his judgement passed on Monday that on the question of a woman’s right to childbirth and maternity leave, no differentiation is permissible between regular and contractual employees of the bank. The court directed the lead bank to give compensation to her in the form of leave with pay for the period for which it was denied. Noting that the RBI ordinarily provides maternity benefits to its employees as per its master circular, the judge said “non-extension of such benefits to the petitioner, in my view, constitutes discriminatory act as the same seeks to create a class within a class which is not permissible.” The court said that this is violative of Article 14 of the Constitution of India. Denial of grant of maternity leave to the petitioner constitutes a discriminatory act and is an offence within the meaning of the Maternity Benefits Act, 1961, the court said. It said that as per clause 5(1) of the Act, every woman would be entitled to, and her employer would be liable for, the payment of maternity benefits. Justice Basu Chowdhury said that if the RBI is permitted to deny the petitioner the basic right of the maternity benefit and only leave is extended without compensation, the same would be tantamount to compel an employee to work during her advanced pregnancy, notwithstanding the same may ultimately endanger both her and her foetus. “If the same is permitted, the object of social justice would stand deviated,” the court observed. In the course of her employment with the apex bank, the petitioner having conceived had applied for maternity leave by a letter dated November 20, 2012, for six months, with effect from December 3, 2012 as she was advised bed rest by the doctor, and her expected due date for delivery was sometimes in the first part of January, 2013. Although there was no communication at that time rejecting the petitioner’s application, she was informed by a letter dated March 14, 2013, that she was not entitled to maternity leave as per the terms of the contract. She was further told that her absence from duty may be treated as leave without compensation. The RBI authorities also informed her that she would be entitled to medical benefits as available to the junior most officers in the bank. Malini Chakraborty, advocate representing the petitioner, submitted before the court that the employment contract cannot have an overriding effect on the Maternity Benefits Act, 1961, which is a beneficial piece of legislation. She also contended that it is a Central Act and the same clearly has an overriding effect on other Acts, including the employment contract. Opposing her submission, the advocate representing the banking regulator drew the attention of the court to the contract for employment dated June 13, 2011 as applicable in the case of the petitioner, submitting that the same is limited to grant of medical benefits only. He further submitted that there is no provision for grant of maternity benefits. He stated that the petitioner had accepted the said terms by acknowledging on a copy thereof and as such she cannot be permitted to deviate therefrom at a later stage. With Tuesday’s results, NDA just four MPs short of majority in RS Tuesday’s Rajya Sabha polls have far-reaching implications for domestic politics, not just the unfurling crisis with regard to the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh, where six MLAs cross-voted in favour of the BJP, or in Uttar Pradesh where the Samajwadi Party (SP) lost its chief whip along with seven MLAs. The effect of the polls is the netting of two extra seats in the Rajya Sabha for the BJP, and the NDA rising just four seats short of a majority in the Upper House. The BJP and the NDA have since 2014 enjoyed a full majority in the Lok Sabha, and have had no trouble with the passage of any legislation, though not so in the Rajya Sabha, where in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first term, in March 2015, the government had to see amendments by the Opposition being carried through. Those amendments were moved by the Opposition to the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address over corruption and black money. Since then, the NDA has trod a careful path of keeping several neutral parties such as the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), and the YSRCP with it when contemplating tricky legislation. In these set of biennale polls to the Rajya Sabha, the BJP saw 28 of its MPs retiring, and was expected to win back exactly the same number. However, because of cross-voting by Himachal Pradesh’s Congress MLAs and Samajwadi Party MLAs in Uttar Pradesh, it netted two extra seats. The numbers will take the BJP’s tally in Rajya Sabha to 97 and that of BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to 117, just four short of the majority mark of 121 in the 240-member House once all 56 members are sworn in. The BJP also remains the single-largest party in the Rajya Sabha with 97 members (including five nominated members who joined the party), followed by the Congress with 29 members, the Trinamool Congress with 13, the DMK and the AAP with 10 each, the BJD and the YSRCP with nine each, the BRS with seven, the RJD with six, the CPI (M) with five, and the AIADMK and the JD(U) with four each. In briefUttar Pradesh illegal-mining case | CBI summons Akhilesh Yadav for witness statement “Central Bureau of Investigation has summoned Samajwadi Party chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav for recording his statement as a witness on February 29 in the 2019 Uttar Pradesh illegal mining case,” an official said. “In a notice issued under Section 160 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), the agency asked him to appear before it on February 29 in connection with the case registered in 2019,” officials said. The Section allows a police officer to summon witnesses in a probe. Indian civilian team reaches Maldives to replace Indian military personnel manning 3 aviation platforms Ahead of the March 10 deadline for the withdrawal of Indian military personnel in the Maldives, an Indian civilian team has reached here to take charge of one of the three aviation platforms in the island nation, local media reports said on February 28. “The civilian team to operate and maintain the aircraft has now arrived in Maldives. The Indian civilian team arrived in Addu early last night to complete the handover/takeover process,” a news portal themaldivesjournal.com said quoting a statement by the Maldives Defence Ministry. Santhan, released convict in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, dies due to illness Santhan, 55, one of the released convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, died on February 28 morning at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital. Hospital authorities said he died at 7.50 a.m. He suffered from cryptogenic cirrhosis with liver failure. He was admitted on January 27, according to sources. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 28 February 2024 [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]( Himachal Pradesh political crisis | Assembly budget session adjourned sine die; Congress rushes observers to Shimla Following a dramatic Rajya Sabha election, which was marred by cross-voting and delivered the Congress-ruled State’s lone Rajya Sabha seat to the BJP candidate, the [Himachal Pradesh government finds itself facing a political crisis](. The Congress scrambled to save its government in Himachal Pradesh, amid dramatic developments that included the resignation of high-profile minister Vikramaditya Singh and the suspension of 15 BJP MLAs by the Speaker. The crisis was triggered by Tuesday’s cross-voting by six Congress MLAs in the Rajya Sabha election. In the afternoon, the crisis was staved off for now as the Finance Bill was passed by voice vote with no BJP member being present. Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania then adjourned the House sine die. Earlier in the morning, the Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, Jairam Thakur had met the Governor, pointing out that the BJP has urged for the division of votes on the cut motions in the ongoing Budget Session. The meetings come amid a buzz over the BJP bringing a motion of no-confidence in the Assembly against the Congress government in the State. Amid the political crisis in Himachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the conspiracy by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to bring down the Congress government in the hill State has failed. “The way they conspired to topple power in Himachal Pradesh with the CRPF, the Haryana Police, by sending helicopters has failed. The way they lured some MLAs by buying them has led to some MLAs siding with them. We’ve brought disqualification motion against them (Congress MLAs who voted for BJP candidate in Rajya Sabha polls) and hearing for the same is underway,” Sukhu said, speaking to reporters on Wednesday. Reliance, Disney sign binding pact to combine media businesses in India [Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL), Viacom 18 Media Private Ltd. (which is majority-owned by RIL’s entity TV18 Broadcast), and The Walt Disney Company (Disney)]( have signed binding definitive agreements to form a joint venture (JV) which will combine the businesses of Viacom18 and Star India in India. Towards this Viacom18 will be merged into Star India Private Ltd. through a court-approved scheme of arrangement. Besides this RIL will invest at closing ₹11,500 crore into the JV for its growth strategy. “The transaction values the JV at ₹70,352 crore on a post-money basis, excluding synergies. After completion of the above steps, the JV will be controlled by RIL and owned 16.34% by RIL, 46.82% by Viacom18 and 36.84% by Disney,” the entities said in a joint statement. Subject to regulatory and third-party approvals, Disney may also contribute certain additional media assets to the JV. Nita Mukesh Ambani will be the chairperson of the JV and Uday Shankar, the former President of Walt Disney Asia Pacific, will be Vice Chairperson providing strategic guidance to the JV. The transaction is expected to be completed in the last quarter of calendar year 2024 or first quarter of calendar year 2025. The JV will be one of the leading TV and digital streaming platforms for entertainment and sports content in India, bringing together media assets across entertainment (Colors, StarPlus, StarGOLD) and sports (Star Sports and Sports18) including access to highly anticipated events across television and digital platforms through JioCinema and Hotstar, the companies said. The JV will have over 750 million viewers across India and will also cater to the Indian diaspora across the world, they said. Mukesh D Ambani, CMD RIL said, “This is a landmark agreement that heralds a new era in the Indian entertainment industry.” Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, said, “India is the world’s most populous market, and we are excited for the opportunities that this joint venture will provide to create long-term value for the company.” Uday Shankar, Co-founder, Bodhi Tree Systems, said, “We are privileged to be enhancing our relationship with Reliance to now also include Disney, a global leader in media & entertainment.” Maternity benefits | Differentiation not permissible between regular, contractual employees: Calcutta High Court Observing that no differentiation is permissible between regular and contractual employees on the question of a woman’s right to childbirth and maternity leave, the [Calcutta High Court has directed the RBI to compensate an executive intern](. The petitioner, who was employed on a contractual basis as an executive intern with RBI for a period of three years from August 16, 2011, moved the high court, questioning the failure on the part of the apex bank to allow maternity leave with pay to her for 180 days. Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury observed in his judgement passed on Monday that on the question of a woman’s right to childbirth and maternity leave, no differentiation is permissible between regular and contractual employees of the bank. The court directed the lead bank to give compensation to her in the form of leave with pay for the period for which it was denied. Noting that the RBI ordinarily provides maternity benefits to its employees as per its master circular, the judge said “non-extension of such benefits to the petitioner, in my view, constitutes discriminatory act as the same seeks to create a class within a class which is not permissible.” The court said that this is violative of Article 14 of the Constitution of India. Denial of grant of maternity leave to the petitioner constitutes a discriminatory act and is an offence within the meaning of the Maternity Benefits Act, 1961, the court said. It said that as per clause 5(1) of the Act, every woman would be entitled to, and her employer would be liable for, the payment of maternity benefits. Justice Basu Chowdhury said that if the RBI is permitted to deny the petitioner the basic right of the maternity benefit and only leave is extended without compensation, the same would be tantamount to compel an employee to work during her advanced pregnancy, notwithstanding the same may ultimately endanger both her and her foetus. “If the same is permitted, the object of social justice would stand deviated,” the court observed. In the course of her employment with the apex bank, the petitioner having conceived had applied for maternity leave by a letter dated November 20, 2012, for six months, with effect from December 3, 2012 as she was advised bed rest by the doctor, and her expected due date for delivery was sometimes in the first part of January, 2013. Although there was no communication at that time rejecting the petitioner’s application, she was informed by a letter dated March 14, 2013, that she was not entitled to maternity leave as per the terms of the contract. She was further told that her absence from duty may be treated as leave without compensation. The RBI authorities also informed her that she would be entitled to medical benefits as available to the junior most officers in the bank. Malini Chakraborty, advocate representing the petitioner, submitted before the court that the employment contract cannot have an overriding effect on the Maternity Benefits Act, 1961, which is a beneficial piece of legislation. She also contended that it is a Central Act and the same clearly has an overriding effect on other Acts, including the employment contract. Opposing her submission, the advocate representing the banking regulator drew the attention of the court to the contract for employment dated June 13, 2011 as applicable in the case of the petitioner, submitting that the same is limited to grant of medical benefits only. He further submitted that there is no provision for grant of maternity benefits. He stated that the petitioner had accepted the said terms by acknowledging on a copy thereof and as such she cannot be permitted to deviate therefrom at a later stage. With Tuesday’s results, NDA just four MPs short of majority in RS [Tuesday’s Rajya Sabha polls have far-reaching implications for domestic politics]( not just the unfurling crisis with regard to the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh, where six MLAs cross-voted in favour of the BJP, or in Uttar Pradesh where the Samajwadi Party (SP) lost its chief whip along with seven MLAs. The effect of the polls is the netting of two extra seats in the Rajya Sabha for the BJP, and the NDA rising just four seats short of a majority in the Upper House. The BJP and the NDA have since 2014 enjoyed a full majority in the Lok Sabha, and have had no trouble with the passage of any legislation, though not so in the Rajya Sabha, where in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first term, in March 2015, the government had to see amendments by the Opposition being carried through. Those amendments were moved by the Opposition to the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address over corruption and black money. Since then, the NDA has trod a careful path of keeping several neutral parties such as the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), and the YSRCP with it when contemplating tricky legislation. In these set of biennale polls to the Rajya Sabha, the BJP saw 28 of its MPs retiring, and was expected to win back exactly the same number. However, because of cross-voting by Himachal Pradesh’s Congress MLAs and Samajwadi Party MLAs in Uttar Pradesh, it netted two extra seats. The numbers will take the BJP’s tally in Rajya Sabha to 97 and that of BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to 117, just four short of the majority mark of 121 in the 240-member House once all 56 members are sworn in. The BJP also remains the single-largest party in the Rajya Sabha with 97 members (including five nominated members who joined the party), followed by the Congress with 29 members, the Trinamool Congress with 13, the DMK and the AAP with 10 each, the BJD and the YSRCP with nine each, the BRS with seven, the RJD with six, the CPI (M) with five, and the AIADMK and the JD(U) with four each. In brief Uttar Pradesh illegal-mining case | CBI summons Akhilesh Yadav for witness statement “[Central Bureau of Investigation has summoned Samajwadi Party chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav]( for recording his statement as a witness on February 29 in the 2019 Uttar Pradesh illegal mining case,” an official said. “In a notice issued under Section 160 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), the agency asked him to appear before it on February 29 in connection with the case registered in 2019,” officials said. The Section allows a police officer to summon witnesses in a probe. Indian civilian team reaches Maldives to replace Indian military personnel manning 3 aviation platforms Ahead of the March 10 deadline for the withdrawal of Indian military personnel in the Maldives, an [Indian civilian team has reached here to take charge of one of the three aviation platforms]( in the island nation, local media reports said on February 28. “The civilian team to operate and maintain the aircraft has now arrived in Maldives. The Indian civilian team arrived in Addu early last night to complete the handover/takeover process,” a news portal themaldivesjournal.com said quoting a statement by the Maldives Defence Ministry. Santhan, released convict in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, dies due to illness [Santhan, 55, one of the released convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, died on February 28]( morning at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital. Hospital authorities said he died at 7.50 a.m. He suffered from cryptogenic cirrhosis with liver failure. He was admitted on January 27, according to sources. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. Today’s Top Picks [[Why plastic recycling is not a solution | In Focus podcast] Why plastic recycling is not a solution | In Focus podcast]( [[Business Matters | How much do you need to fund your living expenses after retirement?] Business Matters | How much do you need to fund your living expenses after retirement?]( [[Police in Manipur’s valley areas protest violence by radical Meitei group] Police in Manipur’s valley areas protest violence by radical Meitei group]( [[Daily Quiz | On Indian scientists and discoveries] Daily Quiz | On Indian scientists and discoveries]( Copyright© 2024, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. If you are facing any trouble in viewing this newsletter, please [click here]( Manage your newsletter subscription preferences [here]( If you do not wish to receive such emails [go here](