January 22, 2021 3:27:51 am
At a time when there is a strain in ties between the Congress and DMK in Puducherry, Rahul Gandhi on Thursday had a meeting with Chief Minister V Narayanasamy and Pradesh Congress Committee president A V Subramanian to review preparations for the forthcoming assembly polls. AICC in charge Dinesh Gundu Rao also attended the meeting. While the DMK issue did come up for discussion, the party decided to go ahead with poll preparations. Party leaders say it is getting feelers from many leaders of the opposition All India N R Congress, a regional party formed by N Rangaswamy after breaking away from the Congress. At least one leader claimed even Rangaswamy is willing to return provided he is offered the chief ministership but argued the party cannot make such a promise.
New Assignment
THE GOVERNMENT on Thursday named Jayant N Khobragade, an IFS officer of 1995 batch, as India’s next Ambassador to ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta. Khobragade, who is a joint secretary rank officer, was expected to go to Islamabad to be India’s envoy, but the Pakistan government refused to accept his nomination since he was considered too senior for the position of acting High Commissioner. Islamabad had come up with this reason, after both sides agreed to downgrade their ties and stopped having full-time High Commissioners.
Talking of Pardons
DURING THE hearing on Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convict AG Perarivalan’s plea for pardon and release from jail in the Supreme Court on Wednesday, Tamil Nadu Additional Advocate General Balaji Srinivasan said that a gentlemen is furiously signing pardons elsewhere and it would have been good if the same could have been done in India too. The apparent reference was to former US President Donald Trump granting several pardons on his last day in office. The message was not lost on the Bench, which responded that it would have saved the court a lot of trouble too. Perarivalan has contended that the Tamil Nadu Governor was yet to take a decision on the state cabinet’s September 2018 recommendation to grant remission and release him forthwith.
