The Evening Wrap: PM Modi says BJP will get at least 370 seats in 2024 polls

Exuding confidence that his government will return to power in the next Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 5 declared that the BJP alone would get at least 370 seats and that the NDA would cross the 400-seat mark in the Lok Sabha, with the Congress destined to sit in the Opposition for several more years. In his speech responding to the Motion of Thanks to the President for her address to both Houses of Parliament, Modi said that he could “gauge the mood of the nation”, and that country “will definitely give NDA more than 400 seats and the BJP at least 370 seats.” It is considered that this is the last big speech by the Prime Minister in the 17th Lok Sabha, as general elections are soon to follow. In a speech that went on for more than an hour and a half, Modi mounted a spirited attack on the Opposition stating that he was convinced that they (opposition parties) have “lost the courage to contest elections and have resolved to stay on the opposition benches for a long time.” He said the third term of the government was not too far. He said that the Congress had for the last 10 years lost the opportunity to play the role of a constructive Opposition and blamed it solely for the “present condition” of the entire Opposition. The Prime Minister said the Congress leaders of the past did not display any confidence in the potential of Indians, quoting a speech by former Prime Minister Nehru at a celebration of Independence Day, saying that Indians were indolent and did not compare favourably with people in Europe, U.S.A., Russia and China. He also dug out quotes from a speech by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on the same lines. Speaking on dynastic politics, Prime Minister Modi said that he termed parties dynastic where a particular family takes all the decisions, captures the leadership and the party serves that family, not families where more than one person is in politics, but as part of a party structure. “My first term was all about filling the gaping holes left by the UPA government, the second was about fulfilling avowed goals, like the abolition of Article 370 that the country had been waiting for, the third term will be one of big decisions, which will lay the foundation of India’s prosperity and security for the next 1,000 years,” Modi said. In his third term, he said the country would be the third largest economy in the world, a “Modi Guarantee”. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led coalition Govt. of Champai Soren wins trust vote 47-29 Jharkhand’s JMM-led coalition government headed by Chief Minister Champai Soren won the vote of confidence in the Assembly on February 5. While 47 MLAs voted in favour of the confidence motion, 29 legislators opposed it in the 81-member Assembly. Independent legislator Saryu Roy abstained. Seventy-seven MLAs were present in the Assembly during the voting. The ruling alliance comprises the JMM, Congress and the RJD while it is supported from outside by the lone CPIML(L) legislator. The BJP-led opposition has 26 legislators of the saffron party and three of the AJSU Party. JMM legislature party leader Champai Soren took oath as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand on February 2, after his predecessor Hemant Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate last week in a money-laundering case. Champai Soren was given 10 days to prove his government’s majority on the floor of the house. He decided that the trust vote will be held on February 5. Hemant Soren, who is in ED custody now, took part in the trust vote following permission granted by a special PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) court. About 38 legislators of the ruling alliance had gone to Hyderabad, the capital of Congress-ruled Telangana, in two flights on February 2, amid the coalition’s fears that the BJP might attempt to “poach” them in the run-up to the trust vote. They returned to Ranchi on Sunday evening ahead of the trust vote. Despite court directions, AAP leader Sanjay Singh not called for oath ceremony Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh, who was recently elected to Rajya Sabha for a second term, because of four cases of breach of privilege pending before the upper house privileges committee, was denied summons to take oath, sources in Vice President’s office said. These cases pertain to Singh’s previous tenure. He was suspended on July 24, 2023, and on August 11 the house passed a motion continuing his suspension till the Privileges committee submits its findings. On Monday, Singh did come to Parliament, as was directed by the Special Judge M.K. Nagpal, who in his order on Saturday while extending Singh’s judicial custody till February 17, directed the jail superintendent concerned to ensure that he is taken to Parliament on Monday by 10:00 a.m. under adequate security to be sworn in, under the condition that he will not be permitted to address the press. Singh’s wife, according to the sources, had phoned the Opposition leaders, requesting them to be present in the house, in solidarity with her husband, expecting him to come. The Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar’s office, when asked on why the oath was not administered, said, “Summons [for taking oath] were not issued to Mr. Sanjay Singh who had also been elected, as he suffered the directives of the House passes on August 11, 2023, disentitling him from participating in the proceedings of the House till the House takes decision on the report of the committee of privileges as and when presented to it. The fact that this matter pertains to his previous term has no impact on this directive.” The delay in the oath taking ceremony raised several eyebrows. “Our friend Mr. Sanjay Singh was deprived of taking oath today after being elected as MP for the second time and despite the court’s instructions. This is the new parliamentary paradigm of the so-called Amrit Kaal,” Rashtriya Janata Dal MP and senior leader Manoj K. Jha said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). Speaking in this context, Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha party leader Derek O’ Brien said, “Parliament has become deep dark chamber.” Maldivian President Muizzu says first group of Indian troops to be sent back before March 10 Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu said the first group of Indian military personnel will be sent back from the island nation before March 10, while the remaining Indians manning two aviation platforms will be withdrawn by May 10. In his maiden address to Parliament, Muizzu, widely seen as a pro-China leader, said he believes a large majority of Maldivians support his administration with the expectation that they will remove foreign military presence from the country, and recover the lost oceanic territory. He said his administration will not allow any State agreements that may compromise the country’s sovereignty, The Edition newspaper reported. Soon after taking oath as the President of Maldives on November 17, Muizzu formally requested India to withdraw 88 military personnel from his country by March 15, saying the Maldivian people have given him a “strong mandate” to make this request to New Delhi. “Diplomatic discussions with other nations that the President can conduct are ongoing. We have officially requested India to remove its troops stationed in the Maldives. Deliberations on this issue are ongoing. As per the most recent discussions, military personnel on one of the three aviation platforms will be recalled before March 10, 2024. The military personnel on the remaining two platforms will also be recalled by May 10, 2024,” Muizzu told the parliament. After the latest round of bilateral talks, India said on February 2 that a “set of mutually workable solutions” was agreed upon with the Maldives for continuing the operations of Indian aviation platforms in the island nation. Currently, Indian military personnel are in the Maldives primarily to operate two helicopters and an aircraft that have carried out hundreds of medical evacuations and humanitarian missions. The Indian platforms have been providing humanitarian and medical evacuation services to the people of the Maldives for the last few years. The president said his administration would not do anything that could in any way compromise the nation’s sovereignty. He asserted that he would remain steadfast and not give in to any external pressures under any circumstances if it posed a risk to the country’s independence and sovereignty. Supreme Court remits 20-year sentence of POCSO convict to save marriage with his victim in Tamil Nadu A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud on Monday remitted the 20-year sentence of a man found guilty of the aggravated sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl whom he later married and had children with in Tamil Nadu. The Special Bench, also comprising the two senior most puisne judges, Justices Sanjiv Khanna and B.R. Gavai, passed the order under the extraordinary powers of the Supreme Court to do ‘complete justice’ endowed to the top court by Article 142 of the Constitution. The order came in a curative petition, a rare remedy, filed by the convict, Sankar, in the Supreme Court. He had argued that “with his incarceration, his marital life with the prosecutrix (the assault victim who is his wife now) has been shattered, leaving the prosecutrix and her children destitute”. The man was convicted and sentenced to two decades of rigorous imprisonment under Section 6 (aggravated sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in 2018. His sentence was confirmed by the Madras High Court in 2021. His appeal and subsequently, a petition to review the judgment, were rejected by the Supreme Court. This had led to the filing of the curative plea. In it, the man said he and the prosecutrix had been married for many years and have two children. The counsel for the convict said the man was the uncle of the victim. The Bench, considering the “peculiar facts” of the case, remitted the remaining prison sentence of the man. The court ordered the man to be released, and the fine of ₹2 lakh imposed on him to be waived. The court referred to two of its earlier judgments, including K. Dandapani, in which the Supreme Court had refused to “disturb” the “marriage” and “happy family life” of a man convicted of raping his minor niece, who later became his wife. In this case, the custom of avunculate marriage between maternal uncles and nieces in Tamil Nadu had triumphed over the strict provisions of the POCSO Act. In brief India’s financial crime-fighting agency is investigating if platforms run by One 97 Communications, also known as Paytm, were involved in violations of foreign exchange rules, two senior Government sources said. The sources did not indicate what specific provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, which covers individual and corporate transfers overseas, were the subject of the investigation by the ED. One of the sources added that the investigators were not yet in contact with Paytm. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 05 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]( BJP alone will get at least 370 seats, NDA will cross 400-seat mark: PM Modi Exuding confidence that his government will return to power in the next Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 5 declared that the [BJP alone would get at least 370 seats and that the NDA would cross the 400-seat mark in the Lok Sabha]( with the Congress destined to sit in the Opposition for several more years. In his speech [responding to the Motion of Thanks to the President for her address to both Houses of Parliament]( Modi said that he could “gauge the mood of the nation”, and that country “will definitely give NDA more than 400 seats and the BJP at least 370 seats.” It is considered that this is the last big speech by the Prime Minister in the 17th Lok Sabha, as general elections are soon to follow. In a speech that went on for more than an hour and a half, Modi mounted a spirited attack on the Opposition stating that he was convinced that they (opposition parties) have “lost the courage to contest elections and have resolved to stay on the opposition benches for a long time.” He said the third term of the government was not too far. He said that the Congress had for the last 10 years lost the opportunity to play the role of a constructive Opposition and blamed it solely for the “present condition” of the entire Opposition. The Prime Minister said the Congress leaders of the past did not display any confidence in the potential of Indians, quoting a speech by former Prime Minister Nehru at a celebration of Independence Day, saying that Indians were indolent and did not compare favourably with people in Europe, U.S.A., Russia and China. He also dug out quotes from a speech by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on the same lines. Speaking on dynastic politics, Prime Minister Modi said that he termed parties dynastic where a particular family takes all the decisions, captures the leadership and the party serves that family, not families where more than one person is in politics, but as part of a party structure. “My first term was all about filling the gaping holes left by the UPA government, the second was about fulfilling avowed goals, like the abolition of Article 370 that the country had been waiting for, the third term will be one of big decisions, which will lay the foundation of India’s prosperity and security for the next 1,000 years,” Modi said. In his third term, he said the country would be the third largest economy in the world, a “Modi Guarantee”. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led coalition Govt. of Champai Soren wins trust vote 47-29 [Jharkhand’s JMM-led coalition government headed by Chief Minister Champai Soren won the vote of confidence in the Assembly on February 5.]( While 47 MLAs voted in favour of the confidence motion, 29 legislators opposed it in the 81-member Assembly. Independent legislator Saryu Roy abstained. Seventy-seven MLAs were present in the Assembly during the voting. The ruling alliance comprises the JMM, Congress and the RJD while it is supported from outside by the lone CPIML(L) legislator. The BJP-led opposition has 26 legislators of the saffron party and three of the AJSU Party. JMM legislature party leader Champai Soren took oath as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand on February 2, after his predecessor Hemant Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate last week in a money-laundering case. Champai Soren was given 10 days to prove his government’s majority on the floor of the house. He decided that the trust vote will be held on February 5. Hemant Soren, who is in ED custody now, took part in the trust vote following permission granted by a special PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) court. About 38 legislators of the ruling alliance had gone to Hyderabad, the capital of Congress-ruled Telangana, in two flights on February 2, amid the coalition’s fears that the BJP might attempt to “poach” them in the run-up to the trust vote. They returned to Ranchi on Sunday evening ahead of the trust vote. Despite court directions, AAP leader Sanjay Singh not called for oath ceremony Aam Aadmi Party leader [Sanjay Singh, who was recently elected to Rajya Sabha for a second term, because of four cases of breach of privilege pending before the upper house privileges committee, was denied summons to take oath]( sources in Vice President’s office said. These cases pertain to Singh’s previous tenure. He was suspended on July 24, 2023, and on August 11 the house passed a motion continuing his suspension till the Privileges committee submits its findings.  On Monday, Singh did come to Parliament, as was directed by the Special Judge M.K. Nagpal, who in his order on Saturday while extending Singh’s judicial custody till February 17, directed the jail superintendent concerned to ensure that he is taken to Parliament on Monday by 10:00 a.m. under adequate security to be sworn in, under the condition that he will not be permitted to address the press. Singh’s wife, according to the sources, had phoned the Opposition leaders, requesting them to be present in the house, in solidarity with her husband, expecting him to come. The Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar’s office, when asked on why the oath was not administered, said, “Summons [for taking oath] were not issued to Mr. Sanjay Singh who had also been elected, as he suffered the directives of the House passes on August 11, 2023, disentitling him from participating in the proceedings of the House till the House takes decision on the report of the committee of privileges as and when presented to it. The fact that this matter pertains to his previous term has no impact on this directive.” The delay in the oath taking ceremony raised several eyebrows. “Our friend Mr. Sanjay Singh was deprived of taking oath today after being elected as MP for the second time and despite the court’s instructions. This is the new parliamentary paradigm of the so-called Amrit Kaal,” Rashtriya Janata Dal MP and senior leader Manoj K. Jha said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). Speaking in this context, Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha party leader Derek O’ Brien said, “Parliament has become deep dark chamber.” Maldivian President Muizzu says first group of Indian troops to be sent back before March 10 Maldivian President [Mohamed Muizzu said the first group of Indian military personnel will be sent back from the island nation before March 10]( while the remaining Indians manning two aviation platforms will be withdrawn by May 10. In his maiden address to Parliament, Muizzu, widely seen as a pro-China leader, said he believes a large majority of Maldivians support his administration with the expectation that they will remove foreign military presence from the country, and recover the lost oceanic territory. He said his administration will not allow any State agreements that may compromise the country’s sovereignty, The Edition newspaper reported. Soon after taking oath as the President of Maldives on November 17, Muizzu formally requested India to withdraw 88 military personnel from his country by March 15, saying the Maldivian people have given him a “strong mandate” to make this request to New Delhi. “Diplomatic discussions with other nations that the President can conduct are ongoing. We have officially requested India to remove its troops stationed in the Maldives. Deliberations on this issue are ongoing. As per the most recent discussions, military personnel on one of the three aviation platforms will be recalled before March 10, 2024. The military personnel on the remaining two platforms will also be recalled by May 10, 2024,” Muizzu told the parliament. After the latest round of bilateral talks, India said on February 2 that a “set of mutually workable solutions” was agreed upon with the Maldives for continuing the operations of Indian aviation platforms in the island nation. Currently, Indian military personnel are in the Maldives primarily to operate two helicopters and an aircraft that have carried out hundreds of medical evacuations and humanitarian missions. The Indian platforms have been providing humanitarian and medical evacuation services to the people of the Maldives for the last few years. The president said his administration would not do anything that could in any way compromise the nation’s sovereignty. He asserted that he would remain steadfast and not give in to any external pressures under any circumstances if it posed a risk to the country’s independence and sovereignty. Supreme Court remits 20-year sentence of POCSO convict to save marriage with his victim in Tamil Nadu [A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud on Monday remitted the 20-year sentence of a man found guilty of the aggravated sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl whom he later married and had children with in Tamil Nadu](. The Special Bench, also comprising the two senior most puisne judges, Justices Sanjiv Khanna and B.R. Gavai, passed the order under the extraordinary powers of the Supreme Court to do ‘complete justice’ endowed to the top court by Article 142 of the Constitution. The order came in a curative petition, a rare remedy, filed by the convict, Sankar, in the Supreme Court. He had argued that “with his incarceration, his marital life with the prosecutrix (the assault victim who is his wife now) has been shattered, leaving the prosecutrix and her children destitute”. The man was convicted and sentenced to two decades of rigorous imprisonment under Section 6 (aggravated sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in 2018. His sentence was confirmed by the Madras High Court in 2021. His appeal and subsequently, a petition to review the judgment, were rejected by the Supreme Court. This had led to the filing of the curative plea. In it, the man said he and the prosecutrix had been married for many years and have two children. The counsel for the convict said the man was the uncle of the victim. The Bench, considering the “peculiar facts” of the case, remitted the remaining prison sentence of the man. The court ordered the man to be released, and the fine of ₹2 lakh imposed on him to be waived. The court referred to two of its earlier judgments, including K. Dandapani, in which the Supreme Court had refused to “disturb” the “marriage” and “happy family life” of a man convicted of raping his minor niece, who later became his wife. In this case, the custom of avunculate marriage between maternal uncles and nieces in Tamil Nadu had triumphed over the strict provisions of the POCSO Act. In brief India’s financial crime-fighting agency is[investigating if platforms run by One 97 Communications, also known as Paytm, were involved in violations of foreign exchange rules]( two senior Government sources said. The sources did not indicate what specific provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, which covers individual and corporate transfers overseas, were the subject of the investigation by the ED. One of the sources added that the investigators were not yet in contact with Paytm. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [Sign up for free]( Today’s Top Picks [[‘A murder of democracy... a mockery of purity of elections’: Supreme Court remarks on conduct of Chandigarh mayoral polls] ‘A murder of democracy... a mockery of purity of elections’: Supreme Court remarks on conduct of Chandigarh mayoral polls]( [[‘States welcome private investors, but push back on PSU privatisation’] ‘States welcome private investors, but push back on PSU privatisation’]( [[To be adventurous or safe — the Mercedes conundrum after Hamilton’s shock exit] To be adventurous or safe — the Mercedes conundrum after Hamilton’s shock exit]( [[What is white topping of Bengaluru roads all about?] What is white topping of Bengaluru roads all about?]( 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](