Your Daily Wrap: Sidhu Moosewala cremated, Satyendar Jain sent to ED custody; and more
◾ Thousands of fans from different states turned up Tuesday to pay their respects to Sidhu Moosewala in the Moosa village of Punjab’s Mansa district as his parents prepared him for his last journey. All roads leading to Moosa were blocked and people walked in the scorching heat to get the last glimpse of the singer as the police stepped up security in the area. Manraj Grewal Sharma writes on the self-made pop sensation: petulant, temperamental and had frequent run-ins with the law.
◾ The GDP numbers are out and data shows India’s economy grew at 4.1 per cent in the January-March quarter, a four-quarter low, down from 5.4 per cent growth seen in October-December quarter and 2.5 per cent growth in the corresponding period a year ago. For the full financial year of 2021-22, India clocked a GDP growth rate of 8.7 per cent against a contraction of 6.6 per cent a year ago.
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◾ A day after he was arrested, Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain was sent to the Enforcement Directorate’s custody till June 9 in connection with a money laundering case. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared on behalf of the ED, said that companies “beneficially owned and controlled by Jain” received accommodation entries amounting to Rs 4.81 crore from shell companies against the cash transferred to Kolkata-based entry operators through a hawala route.
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Premium◾ Meanwhile, in Bengal, the BJP censured party MP and former state president Dilip Ghosh for speaking against a section of party leaders in West Bengal. BJP national general secretary Arun Singh wrote to Ghosh in this regard at the instruction of the party’s national president J P Nadda.
◾ Down south, the Kerala High Court allowed a same-sex couple to live together. The High Court acted upon a habeas corpus petition moved by Adila Nazrin, 22, a native of Aluva in the Ernakulam district. She complained that her partner Fathima Noorah, 23, has been forcibly taken away by the latter’s family.
Political Pulse
◾ At a time when political parties, including its allies, are escalating demands for a caste census, the BJP has chosen its formula of “political empowerment” of the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Dalits by focussing on them while nominating candidates for the June 10 Rajya Sabha polls. The candidate list is strictly in line with the social-engineering formula that has helped the party in its electoral battles since 2014. BJP leaders have attributed the party’s return to power in Uttar Pradesh to its command over the OBC-Dalit vote base in the state. Liz Mathew reports.
◾ On May 27, Iltija Mufti, the younger daughter of the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and PDP chief gave the first formal indication that she may be ready to step into Mufti’s shoes. Through a two-minute video message on the PDP’s Twitter handle, Iltija said she would be holding direct conversations with the people of Jammu and Kashmir via fortnightly videos talking about the issues and decisions affecting their lives. The message carried the hashtag AapkiBaatIltijaKeSaat. Read Naveed Iqbal’s report on the 35-year-old who has been hanging around the edges of Mufti’s press conferences, protests and party meetings for the past few years.
Express Explained
◾ The Ministry of Defence said it has signed a contract with the Hyderabad-based public-sector Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) for supply of the Astra Mark-1, at a cost of Rs 2,971 crore, for deployment on fighter jets of the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy. We explain what Astra Mk-1 air-to-air missile is, its features, and strategic significance.
◾ The Johnny Depp versus Amber Heard trial, where Depp has claimed that his ex-spouse defamed him in an opinion piece she wrote in The Washington Post (December 2018) by presenting herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse”, had its closing arguments last week. A verdict is at hand and if Depp wins, he could be awarded $50 million for his claim. The last seven weeks of the trial have also given rise to a social media spectacle. Here’s a must read Explained on the social media trial of Amber Heard.
