The Evening Wrap: BJP announces alliance with Amarinder’s party for Punjab polls

The BJP formally announced on Friday that it will contest the upcoming Assembly elections in Punjab in alliance with Amarinder Singh’s Punjab Lok Congress. Mr. Singh on Friday called on the BJP’s Punjab in-charge and Union Minister, Gajendra Shekhawat, at his residence in New Delhi. After the meeting, they officially announced the alliance between the two parties. “Today, I want to make it clear that the BJP and Amarinder Singh will contest Assembly elections in Punjab together and we are working together,” Mr. Shekhawat told the media, Mr. Singh by his side. Mr. Shekhawat said the details of seat-sharing will be announced at an “appropriate time”. Mr. Singh said, “The alliance will definitely, 101%, win the elections. And winnability will be the main criterion in finalising seats.” Mr. Singh formed his own party, Punjab Lok Congress, days after he resigned as the Chief Minister, and quit the Congress. Earlier, the BJP had also broken its alliance with longstanding partner, Shiromani Akali Dal, over the issue of farm laws. Omicron spreading fast across Europe, other parts of world; avoid non-essential travel, says government As many as 101 positive cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus have been detected across 11 States and Union Territories so far, the government said on Friday, advising people to keep new year celebrations at low intensity. It said that although the daily COVID-19 case count had been under 10,000 for the past 20 days, there was a need to stay vigilant in view of the new variant and the rising number of cases in other countries. With the Omicron variant spreading very fast across Europe and other parts of the world, people needed to avoid non-essential travel, the government said, adding that mass gatherings must be avoided, and new year celebrations should be carried out at low intensity. Giving details of the Omicron cases emerging in India, it said Maharashtra reported 32 cases of the variant, Delhi (22), Rajasthan (17), Karnataka (8), Telangana (8), Gujarat (5), Kerala (5), Andhra Pradesh (1), Chandigarh (1), Tamil Nadu (1) and West Bengal (1). Citing the World Health Organization, it also said that the Omicron variant was spreading faster than the Delta variant in South Africa, where Delta circulation was low. It was likely that Omicron’s spread would outpace the Delta variant where community transmission occurs, the government said, citing the WHO. It added that sufficient systematic and strategic sampling was being undertaken for detection of Omicron cases in India through genome sequencing. PM Modi meets BJP MPs from U.P.; Ajay Mishra not in group Prime Minister Narendra Modi met BJP MPs from election-bound Uttar Pradesh over breakfast on Friday, his fourth such interaction during the winter session of Parliament with party MPs categorised Statewise. Significantly, Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra Teni, in the eye of a political storm over the Uttar Pradesh Police Special Investigation Team report on the killing of eight people in Lakhimpur Kheri in October, was absent from the meeting. At least 36 MPs from the State attended the breakfast meeting with Mr. Modi. The number was restricted to less than the total strength of the party in Parliament from Uttar Pradesh due to COVID-19 protocols, sources said. The discussion was largely related to how MPs could foster better communication between constituents and themselves, and a common piece of advice that Mr. Modi seems to be telling all MPs who have met him so far is to organise sports tournaments in their areas to encourage both health and a sporting spirit. “He feels that sports encourages a positive motivation in the youth,” said a source present at the meeting. The upcoming poll in the State was not mentioned. BJP slams Karnataka Congress MLA’s ‘rape’ statement The BJP on Friday slammed the Congress for Karnataka MLA K.R. Ramesh Kumar’s comments on rape on the floor of the Assembly, but was left embarrassed when its spokesperson Aparajita Sarangi criticised Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, who is from the ruling party, for not objecting to Mr. Kumar’s remarks. On December 16, when Mr. Kageri expressed helplessness about not being able to curtail the long speeches of members, Mr. Kumar had said, “There’s a saying...when rape is inevitable, lie down and enjoy it. That is the situation you are in too.” At a press conference held at the party headquarters in New Delhi, BJP Lok Sabha MP Ms. Sarangi questioned Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s silence over the issue, alleging that its leaders have a history of making such insulting comments about women. Her next comment, however, was on Mr. Kageri, who had joined in the mirth over the remark. “What is sad is that the Speaker said nothing after such objectionable comments were made and even laughed,” she stated. Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, and another BJP spokesperson, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, however, defended the Speaker. Mr. Rathore said Mr. Kageri made no statement and things should not be implied. Mr. Chandrasekhar accused Mr. Kumar of trivialising crime against women. Ms. Sarangi later clarified that she meant to refer to Mr. Kumar, as he is also a former Speaker. Even as Speaker, he had made such remarks by equating himself with a rape victim for being dragged to court over various issues, she noted. Mr. Kumar apologised for his remarks on Friday. In a tweet, he said: “I would like to express my sincere apologies to everyone for the indifferent and negligent comment I made in today’s assembly about rape. My intention was not to trivialise or make light of the heinous crime, but an off-the-cuff remark! I will choose my words carefully henceforth!” Supreme Court stays proceedings of West Bengal’s Lokur panel probing Pegasus snooping allegations The Supreme Court on Friday stayed further proceedings of a Commission of Inquiry appointed by the West Bengal Government to look into allegations of snooping using the Pegasus software. A Bench led by Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana impleaded the commission, comprising former Supreme Court judge, Justice Madan B. Lokur, and retired Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court Jyotirmay Bhattacharya. The court issued notice to the panel to be served through its secretary. The order was passed after an NGO, Global Village Foundation Trust, made an urgent plea that the commission was going ahead with a ‘parallel inquiry’ into Pegasus allegations. The Supreme Court has already appointed a committee led by retired Supreme Court judge, Justice R.V. Raveendran in October to ‘expeditiously’ examine the Pegasus snooping reports. The West Bengal Government's move in July to appoint a Commission of Inquiry was first heard by the Supreme Court in August. At the time, the Supreme Court had only issued pre-admission notice to the Centre on August 17 on petitions seeking an independent inquiry into allegations that the Government used the Israeli-based spyware to snoop on journalists, activists, dissenters, parliamentarians, Ministers and other citizens. During the hearing on August 25, the Supreme Court initially wanted to pass a formal order to stop the commission from going ahead with its inquiry when the case was already pending before the court. However, the State Government, through senior advocate A.M. Singhvi, had given an oral assurance to the court to convey a ‘message of restraint’ to the commission. On Friday, Mr. Singhvi, appearing for the State Government, said the message of restraint had been conveyed to the commission as promised. The commission had stopped its work till the court had passed orders in October. Mr. Singhvi said the State Government could not interfere in the working of the Commission of Inquiry, and it was now up to the Supreme Court to pass any formal orders for the commission. This led the court to implead the commission, issue notice and order the stay of further proceedings. Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 3,47,26,056 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 4,76,869. Compiled by A.S. Nazir Ahamed and Vikrant Jha Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 17 DECEMBER 2021 [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]( BJP announces alliance with Amarinder Singh’s party for Punjab polls The BJP formally announced on Friday that it will contest the upcoming Assembly elections in Punjab [in alliance with Amarinder Singh’s Punjab Lok Congress]( Mr. Singh on Friday called on the BJP’s Punjab in-charge and Union Minister, Gajendra Shekhawat, at his residence in New Delhi. After the meeting, they officially announced the alliance between the two parties. “Today, I want to make it clear that the [BJP and Amarinder Singh]( will contest Assembly elections in Punjab together and we are working together,” Mr. Shekhawat told the media, Mr. Singh by his side. Mr. Shekhawat said the details of seat-sharing will be announced at an “appropriate time”. [Former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and BJP’s Punjab in-charge and Union Minister Gajendra Shekhawat meet at the latter’s residence in New Delhi on December 17, 2021. Photo: Twitter/@capt_amarinder]  Mr. Singh said, “The alliance will definitely, 101%, win the elections. And winnability will be the main criterion in finalising seats.” Mr. Singh formed his own party, Punjab Lok Congress, days after he resigned as the Chief Minister, and quit the Congress. Earlier, the BJP had also broken its alliance with longstanding partner, Shiromani Akali Dal, over the issue of farm laws. [underlineimg] Omicron spreading fast across Europe, other parts of world; avoid non-essential travel, says government As many as 101 positive cases of the [Omicron variant of the coronavirus]( have been detected across 11 States and Union Territories so far, the government said on Friday, [advising people to keep new year celebrations at low intensity]( It said that although the daily COVID-19 case count had been under 10,000 for the past 20 days, there was a need to stay vigilant in view of the new variant and the rising number of cases in other countries. With the Omicron variant spreading very fast across Europe and other parts of the world, people needed to avoid non-essential travel, the government said, adding that mass gatherings must be avoided, and new year celebrations should be carried out at low intensity. [E-pass is also mandatory for domestic air travellers due to the Omicron precautionary measures at Chennai Airport, on December 17, 2021.]  Giving details of the Omicron cases emerging in India, it said Maharashtra reported 32 cases of the variant, Delhi (22), Rajasthan (17), Karnataka (8), Telangana (8), Gujarat (5), Kerala (5), Andhra Pradesh (1), Chandigarh (1), Tamil Nadu (1) and West Bengal (1). Citing the World Health Organization, it also said that the Omicron variant was spreading faster than the Delta variant in South Africa, where Delta circulation was low. It was likely that Omicron’s spread would outpace the Delta variant where community transmission occurs, the government said, citing the WHO. It added that sufficient systematic and strategic sampling was being undertaken for detection of Omicron cases in India through genome sequencing. [underlineimg] PM Modi meets BJP MPs from U.P.; Ajay Mishra not in group Prime Minister [Narendra Modi met BJP MPs from election-bound Uttar Pradesh]( over breakfast on Friday, his fourth such interaction during the winter session of Parliament with party MPs categorised Statewise. Significantly, [Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra Teni]( in the eye of a political storm over the Uttar Pradesh Police Special Investigation Team report on the killing of eight people in [Lakhimpur Kheri]( in October, was absent from the meeting. At least 36 MPs from the State attended the breakfast meeting with Mr. Modi. The number was restricted to less than the total strength of the party in Parliament from Uttar Pradesh due to COVID-19 protocols, sources said. The discussion was largely related to how MPs could foster better communication between constituents and themselves, and a common piece of advice that Mr. Modi seems to be telling all MPs who have met him so far is to organise sports tournaments in their areas to encourage both health and a sporting spirit. “He feels that sports encourages a positive motivation in the youth,” said a source present at the meeting. The upcoming poll in the State was not mentioned. [underlineimg] BJP slams Karnataka Congress MLA’s ‘rape’ statement  The [BJP on Friday slammed the Congress]( for Karnataka MLA [K.R. Ramesh Kumar’s comments on rape]( on the floor of the Assembly, but was left embarrassed when its spokesperson Aparajita Sarangi criticised Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, who is from the ruling party, for not objecting to Mr. Kumar’s remarks. On December 16, when Mr. Kageri expressed helplessness about not being able to curtail the long speeches of members, Mr. Kumar had said, “There’s a saying...when rape is inevitable, lie down and enjoy it. That is the situation you are in too.” At a press conference held at the party headquarters in New Delhi, BJP Lok Sabha MP Ms. Sarangi questioned Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s silence over the issue, alleging that its leaders have a history of making such insulting comments about women. Her next comment, however, was on Mr. Kageri, who had joined in the mirth over the remark. “What is sad is that the Speaker said nothing after such objectionable comments were made and even laughed,” she stated. Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, and another BJP spokesperson, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, however, defended the Speaker. Mr. Rathore said Mr. Kageri made no statement and things should not be implied. Mr. Chandrasekhar accused Mr. Kumar of trivialising crime against women. Ms. Sarangi later clarified that she meant to refer to Mr. Kumar, as he is also a former Speaker. Even as Speaker, he had made such remarks by equating himself with a rape victim for being dragged to court over various issues, she noted. Mr. Kumar [apologised for his remarks on Friday]( In a tweet, he said: “I would like to express my sincere apologies to everyone for the indifferent and negligent comment I made in today’s assembly about rape. My intention was not to trivialise or make light of the heinous crime, but an off-the-cuff remark! I will choose my words carefully henceforth!” [underlineimg] Supreme Court stays proceedings of West Bengal’s Lokur panel probing Pegasus snooping allegations The Supreme Court on Friday [stayed further proceedings of a Commission of Inquiry appointed by the West Bengal Government]( to look into allegations of [snooping using the Pegasus software]( A Bench led by Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana impleaded the commission, comprising former Supreme Court judge, Justice Madan B. Lokur, and retired Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court Jyotirmay Bhattacharya. The court issued notice to the panel to be served through its secretary. The order was passed after an NGO, Global Village Foundation Trust, made an urgent plea that the commission was going ahead with a ‘parallel inquiry’ into Pegasus allegations. [The Supreme Court has already appointed a committee]( led by retired Supreme Court judge, Justice R.V. Raveendran in October to ‘expeditiously’ examine the Pegasus snooping reports. The West Bengal Government's move in July to appoint a Commission of Inquiry was first heard by the Supreme Court in August. At the time, the Supreme Court had only issued pre-admission notice to the Centre on August 17 on petitions seeking an independent inquiry into allegations that the Government used the Israeli-based spyware to snoop on journalists, activists, dissenters, parliamentarians, Ministers and other citizens. During the hearing on August 25, the Supreme Court initially wanted to pass a formal order to stop the commission from going ahead with its inquiry when the case was already pending before the court. However, the State Government, through senior advocate A.M. Singhvi, had given an oral assurance to the court to convey a ‘message of restraint’ to the commission. On Friday, Mr. Singhvi, appearing for the State Government, said the message of restraint had been conveyed to the commission as promised. The commission had stopped its work till the court had passed orders in October. Mr. Singhvi said the State Government could not interfere in the working of the Commission of Inquiry, and it was now up to the Supreme Court to pass any formal orders for the commission. This led the court to implead the commission, issue notice and order the stay of further proceedings. [underlineimg] Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments The [number of reported coronavirus cases from India]( stood at 3,47,26,056 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 4,76,869. Compiled by A.S. 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