NEW DELHI, May 11 : The government doesn’t see a truce in the West Asia war anytime soon, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Monday, as he appealed to citizens to make their best efforts to help preserve foreign exchange reserves.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called for measures by citizens to overcome the challenges emerging from the war involving the US, Israel and Iran, to help the country in many ways, including judicious use of fuel and “save foreign exchange by any means”.
“We are living in very turbulent times. For no fault of ours, for a war which is there between two different countries in our neighbourhood, the entire world is getting affected by it. But since the war is now still going on, and yesterday’s developments, we all know that a truce is still far away, looking kind of difficult,” Vaishnaw said at the CII Annual Business Summit.
He said that citizens have to play an important role in the current crisis.
“We as citizens, as our Prime Minister has asked all of us to, can reduce our expenditure on everything that requires foreign exchange to this point. In our lives, in our own ways of working, we can identify whatever we can do to preserve the foreign exchange. Simultaneously, we must also earn the foreign exchange more and more,” Vaishnaw said.
Modi has appealed to citizens for judicious use of petrol and diesel, using metro rail services in cities, car pooling, maximum use of EVs, utilising railway services to send parcels, and working from home to save foreign exchange.
“I request all of you to take cognizance of Honorable Prime Minister’s call to the nation and within your own means, within your own enterprises, within your own businesses, try to do whatever best you can,” the minister said. (PTI)
Excelsior Sports Correspondent
SAMBA, May 11: President J&K Jat Sabha and former Minister Manjit Singh today lauded the organisers of a cricket tournament held at Vijaypur, for promoting sportsmanship among youth.
The tournament was organised by Elite Cricket and Johal Cricket Academy, RS Pura. The final match was played between Apex Cricket Club and Molan Cricket Club, in which Apex Cricket Club emerged victorious after an exciting contest. Manjit Singh, as chief guest, distributed trophies among winners and runners-up and appreciated the enthusiasm and discipline shown by the players.
Speaking on the occasion, he said sports can play a key role in fighting drug addiction, which has severely affected youth, families and society. He stressed that sports channelise energy in a positive direction and help build discipline and character among youngsters.
Prominent persons present included Choudhary Jagar, Choudhary Dwarka, Mandeep Choudhary, Naveen Choudhary, Avi Choudhary and others, who also appreciated the initiative.
NEW DELHI, May 11 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will undertake a six-day visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy beginning Friday to further deepen India’s bilateral ties amid the ongoing geopolitical upheavals.
PM Modi’s first destination will be the UAE, where he will meet President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan with an aim to advance the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership and exchange views on the West Asia conflict.
“The two leaders will have the opportunity to exchange views on bilateral issues, in particular energy cooperation, as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Monday.
It said the visit will serve to promote the significant trade and investment linkages between the two countries.
The UAE is India’s third-largest trade partner and its seventh-largest source of investment cumulatively over the past 25 years.
With the UAE hosting over 4.5 million-strong Indian community, the visit will also be an opportunity to discuss their welfare, the MEA said.
In the second leg of his trip, Modi will visit the Netherlands from May 15 to 17. This will be his second trip to the Netherlands, following his visit in 2017.
The prime minister will meet King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima, and hold talks with Prime Minister Rob Jetten.
PM Modi’s visit will build on the momentum of high-level engagements and close cooperation spanning diverse sectors, including defence, security, innovation, green hydrogen, semiconductors and a strategic partnership on water, according to the MEA.
It said his visit will provide an opportunity to further deepen and expand the multifaceted partnership.
The Netherlands is one of India’s largest trade destinations in Europe, with bilateral trade worth USD 27.8 billion in 2024-25. The European nation is India’s fourth-largest investor with cumulative foreign direct investment of USD 55.6 billion.
From the Netherlands, the prime minister will travel to Sweden at the invitation of his Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson for a two-day trip from May 17 to 18.
Modi had earlier visited Sweden in 2018 for the first-ever India-Nordic Summit.
The prime minister is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with PM Kristersson to review the entire gamut of bilateral relations and explore new avenues of cooperation to enhance bilateral trade, which has reached USD 7.75 billion in 2025.
In their talks, the two sides are set to focus on boosting bilateral ties in areas of green transition, AI, emerging technologies, startups, resilient supply chains, defence, space, climate action and people-to-people ties.
“The two prime ministers will also address the European Round Table for Industry, a leading pan-European business leaders forum, along with Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission,” the MEA said in a statement.
In the fourth leg of his visit, Modi will be in Norway from May 18 to 19 to attend the third India-Nordic summit as well as to hold bilateral talks with the leadership of the country.
This will be the first visit of PM Modi to Norway. It will also mark the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Norway in 43 years.
PM Modi will call on King Harald V and Queen Sonja and hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store.
Modi will also address the India-Norway Business and Research Summit along with the Norwegian Prime Minister, according to the MEA.
“The visit will provide an opportunity to review the progress made in India-Norway relations and explore avenues to further strengthen them, with a focus on trade and investment, capitalising on the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement, as well as on clean and green tech and blue economy,” it said.
The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) nations are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
“The visit will also be an opportunity to induce momentum in bilateral trade worth around USD 2.73 billion (2024), and investments by Norway’s government Pension Fund (GPFG) of close to USD 28 billion in the Indian capital market,” the MEA said.
The third India-Nordic summit will take place in Oslo on May 19, and it will be joined by Modi and his counterparts from Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Sweden.
The MEA said the summit will build upon the two previous summits held in Stockholm in April 2018 and in Copenhagen in May 2022, and will impart a more strategic dimension to India’s relationship with the Nordic countries.
The summit is expected to focus on enhancing two-way ties in areas of technology and innovation, green transition and renewable energy, sustainability, blue economy, defence, space and the Arctic.
In the final leg of his visit, PM Modi will undertake an official visit to Italy from May 19 to 20 at the invitation of his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni.
PM Modi had last visited Italy in June 2024 for the G7 Summit. During the visit, he will call on President Sergio Mattarella and hold talks with PM Meloni.
The visit takes place in the backdrop of a strong momentum in bilateral ties with both sides proactively implementing the joint strategic action plan 2025-2029, a comprehensive road map for cooperation in various sectors, the MEA said.
The India-Italy bilateral trade reached USD 16.77 billion in 2025.
The focus of Modi’s trip to Italy is likely to bolster ties in areas of investment, defence and security, clean energy, innovation and science and technology.
The prime minister’s upcoming visit will further deepen India’s partnership with Europe across sectors, particularly trade and investment ties in light of the recently concluded India-EU free trade agreement, the MEA said. (PTI)
BEIJING, May 11 : Beijing has strongly opposed unilateral sanctions by the United States targeting Chinese companies over alleged links to Iran, calling the measures “illegal and not supported by international law.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Monday that China firmly rejects unilateral sanctions imposed by the US that are not authorized by the United Nations Security Council.
The remarks followed sanctions announced by the US Treasury Department on nine mainland Chinese and Hong Kong companies and individuals, accusing them of helping Iran’s military.
The list includes 12 individuals and entities accused of involvement in procuring weapons and technology for Iran’s military use.
He added that Beijing consistently requires Chinese companies to conduct business in accordance with laws and regulations and intends to firmly protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises.
“As for the situation in Iran, China has repeatedly stated its firm position. The most pressing task is to make every effort to prevent the resumption of war, rather than maliciously using the conflict to smear other countries,” he said.
The decision, which risks complicating a planned visit to China by Donald Trump next week, was announced on Friday by the Treasury and State Departments.
Referring to the broader regional situation, Guo said the priority should be de-escalation rather than political blame. “The most pressing task is to make every effort to prevent the resumption of war, rather than maliciously using the conflict to smear other countries,” he added.
The US sanctions reportedly targeted companies based in Hong Kong and mainland China, as well as one firm in the United Arab Emirates, along with an individual alleged to be connected to a Chinese industrial company.
Beijing reiterated that it has consistently maintained its position on Iran-related tensions and urged restraint from actions that could further escalate the situation.(UNI)
A BSNL tower which fell down in Pangdour village of Samba district.
—Excelsior/Nischant
Narrow escape for family as BSNL tower falls on house
Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, May 11: High speed winds and severe storm created havoc in twin districts of Samba and Kathua where huge number of standing trees and electric poles were uprooted while roofs of houses and sheds as well as BSNL Tower, Solar Penal fell down and mango fruit also got damaged in the twin districts putting the farmers to a heavy loss.
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A family had a narrow escape after a Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) mobile tower fell on their house following high-speed winds and a severe storm in Pangdour village of Samba district, officials said. Besides, the two sheds and solar panel were also damaged in the same village late last night.
The incident took place in Pangdour village during the late last night, when strong winds accompanied by heavy lightning and rain lashed the area, causing widespread damage, they said.
Officials said the BSNL tower collapsed onto the house of Banarsi Dass, damaging their residence. Two rooms of the house were damaged, while nearby tin sheds and solar panels were also destroyed, they said.
“A powerful storm accompanied by strong winds hit the area at midnight. The mobile tower collapsed completely onto their house, causing damage to two rooms,” an official said.
Recalling the terrifying incident, Banarsi Dass said he was awake around 12:30 in mid night when he heard a massive crashing sound amid intense lightning and rainfall.
“The noise was so loud that initially we could not understand what had fallen. I immediately told the children to remain inside and not come out,” he said.
Dass said that after the rain subsided slightly, the family came outside and discovered that the tower had fallen on their house.
“Two of our rooms have been damaged, though the side sheds remained safe. Thankfully, nobody was inside the rooms at the time, otherwise it could have turned into a major tragedy,” he added.
Dass said the storm and lightning were unlike anything witnessed in the area before and added that electricity remained disrupted for nearly 11 hours after the incident.
He appealed to the administration for assistance in rebuilding the damaged house.
According to the family, the tower belonged to BSNL and had been installed in 2012. BSNL officials also visited the site after the incident.
Despite the heavy damage to the house and the telecom infrastructure, no casualties or injuries were reported, they said.
The family said they were fortunate that the tower did not fall on the side of the house where family members were sleeping, which could have resulted in a major tragedy.
The hailstorm also destroyed mango fruit as 40 to 50 percent of the fruit has fallen down due to strong winds in twin districts of Kathua and Samba districts, said Jai Dev Singh, president Kisan Kalyan Sangh. Besides, the electric poles, and other fruit and non fruit bearing trees were uprooted in the twin districts disrupting the supply or electricity for hours together.
The MLAs of various constituencies said, as per the initial reports received by them, huge damage was caused to standing trees, electric poles and wires, besides sheds and some residential houses as well as mango fruit.
MLA Kathua, Dr Bharat Bushan said that people especially formers faced heavy loss due to fast winds and storm last night . He said many trees got uprooted in his constituency while the half of the mango fruit fell down from the trees putting the growers to heavy loss. He said Summer apple planted in various areas of the Kathua district also got damaged in the storm. Besides, the trees, electric poles also got uprooted at various places, he added.
MLA Hiranagar, Vijay Sharma said that the electricity remained cut off due to uprooting of poles in various areas of Hiranagar constituency and in some villages even it was not restored even by the Monday evening. The Changi village and Parmal in Pathwar Panchayat are without electricity since last night as huge damage was caused to electric poles and wires got snapped due to storm.
“Half of the mango fruit has been destroyed in the storm in my constituency and growers have suffered a heavy loss”, he added.
MLA Billawar, Satish Sharma said that water supply and electricity has been hit in various areas of his constituency after poles were uprooted by the storm late last night. He said many residential houses got also damaged in some villages after their roofs were blown off in strong winds.
MLA Ramgarh, Dr D K Manyal also confirmed that heavy winds caused huge damage in his constituency last night with electricity remaining disrupted after damage to electric poles and wires. He said many trees got uprooted while the mango fruit also suffered a heavy loss due to fall.
They demanded that Revenue and Horticulture Departments should assess the losses and Government should pay compensation to farmers accordingly.
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 11: Health and Medical Education Minister Sakeena Itoo today said the closure of Siraj-ul-Uloom was ordered by the Home Department and not by the National Conference-led Government, while assuring that students affected by the decision would be accommodated in other institutions.
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Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a commemorative event marking the 36th death anniversary of Sheikh Muhammad Mansoor in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, Itoo said the Government had no role in the closure of the institution.
Responding to questions about Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s visit to New Delhi and the demand for restoration of statehood, Itoo said statehood was a “right” of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and not a concession being sought from the Centre. “We are not begging for statehood. Statehood is the right of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” she said.
Itoo said the National Conference Government had passed a resolution on statehood in its first Cabinet meeting and later secured passage of resolutions in the Assembly seeking restoration of statehood and special status.
She said both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had earlier committed to restoring statehood after elections and delimitation. “They say every time that Jammu and Kashmir is normal now. So, if everything is normal, then why are they not returning statehood?” she asked.
Itoo also criticized the Peoples Democratic Party, accusing it of aligning with the Bharatiya Janata Party and misrepresenting statements made by Omar. “The PDP has the habit of lying,” she said, alleging that the party had supported the BJP in the Rajya Sabha and echoed the “agenda of the RSS.”
Defending Chief Minister against criticism over remarks linked to liquor policy, Itoo said no liquor shops had been opened in Kashmir during the National Conference Government’s tenure and maintained that the party had consistently opposed drugs and alcohol.
“Our party has always been against it, against drugs, against alcohol, and whatever is wrong, we do not allow it,” she said.
She said National Conference workers and leaders had frequently been targeted during years of militancy in the region. “At least 3,500 workers have been martyred,” she said, referring to members of the party.
NEW DELHI, May 11: The new barrier-less toll collection system, once implemented nationwide, will ensure a break-free travel experience for highway users and cut the government’s expenditure on fee plaza operations by Rs 6,000 crore annually, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said on Monday.
The road transport and highways minister said this after inaugurating the country’s second multi-lane free flow (MLFF) tolling system at the Mundka-Bakkarwala Toll Plaza on the Urban Extension Road-II (UER-II) in Delhi.
The first such free-flow tolling system was inaugurated on May 1 at Choryasi Toll Plaza on the Surat-Bharuch section of NH-48 in Gujarat.
It has been the government’s continuous effort to give good and sustainable highways to people of India, deploying the latest technology, the minister said, adding that earlier, the toll collection was around Rs 40,000 crore to Rs 45,000 crore annually. Then, after the introduction of FASTag, the collection increased to around Rs 55,000 crore.
“Now MLFF is coming, and its benefit will be that earlier in the toll that was collected, the expenses were around 15 per cent, but now 10 per cent will be saved, so overall Rs 5,500-6,000 crore will be saved,” Gadkari said.
At plazas with barrier-less tolling systems, vehicles need not to stop as the AI-enabled cameras installed at the collection booth are capable of reading details of vehicles crossing at a speed of as high as 100 km per hour.
“Waiting time is zero at such plazas. AI has been used for number plate recognition. You can pass an MLFF barrier-less tolling system at a speed of 80-100 km/h speed,” Gadkari said.
In the future, MLFF will also help in saving fuel worth Rs 285 crore and reducing 81,000 tonnes of Co2 emissions.
Explaining the transaction process, Gadkari said the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will obtain the user fee deducted by the partner bank from the customers’ FASTag.
In case a customer having a low balance or inactive FASTag passes MLFF plaza, the person will receive an e-notice on the registered mobile number.
The person will be given 72 hours from the time of receiving the e-notice to pay the toll through online mode only, such as UPI, or face action.
State-owned NHAI operates around 1,100 toll plazas across various locations in the country.
After Choryasi and Mundka-Bakkarwala, NHAI is planning to roll out more MLFF tolling at national highway fee plazas during the current financial year, its Chairman Santosh Kumar Yadav said.
He said the national rollout covers 17 fee plazas across nine states. All are aimed to go live by September 2026. These plazas are in states such as Gujarat, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Assam.
Yadav said the bidding process for an additional 108+ plazas under phase 2 is at various levels. These plazas will come up by March 2027 in states such as Delhi, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Telangana.
The state-of-the-art system enables seamless toll collection without requiring vehicles to stop, using advanced technologies such as Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and FASTag.
The initiative is aimed at reducing queues and delays at plazas, saving fuel costs and travel time, besides giving a better driving experience.
The minister later urged the commuters to follow the traffic rules as the country moves ahead with the upgradation of technology across highways.
He requested the people to put on their seat belts and avoid using mobile phones while driving on highways, as upcoming MLFF plazas are capable of detecting such activities even during night hours. Such incidents will be captured and reported to the nearest authorities, who will issue challans to the offenders. (PTI)
Kabaddi Association members and university officials posing with Kabaddi mats during the handover programme at Cluster University Jammu.
Excelsior Sports Correspondent
JAMMU, May 11: J&K Amateur Kabaddi Association (JKAKA) provided Kabaddi mats to the Department of Sports & Physical Education, Cluster University of Jammu in a programme held at the Conference Hall of GGM Science College today. The initiative aimed at strengthening sports infrastructure and promoting Kabaddi culture among students.
The event was graced by Vice-Chancellor Prof K S Chandrasekar, along with chief guest Anupam Goswami, Business Head of Mashal & League Chairman – JioStar and Kuldeep Kumar Gupta, Technical Director of the Asian Kabaddi Federation, who informed that 280 Kabaddi mats have been provided for developing sports facilities at the University.
The programme was coordinated under the guidance of Dr. Vinod Bakshi, Director Physical Education & Sports, Cluster University of Jammu, who also presented the welcome address and detailed report of the event. The proceedings were conducted by Prof Sugandha Mahajan, while the vote of thanks was delivered by Prof DS Manhas.
The dignitaries highlighted Kabaddi as a sport symbolising strength, discipline, teamwork and India’s rich sporting heritage. The event was attended by the Registrar, Dean Academic Affairs, Controller of Examinations, Dean Research Studies, all Deans of Faculties, Principals of Constituent Colleges, FA/CAO, Directors, Coordinators, Physical Directors, Sports Convenors, Heads of Departments of GGM Science College and Kabaddi players of the University.
NEW DELHI, May 11 : The Election Commission is set to roll out phase three of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voters’ list in the next “coming days”, officials said on Monday, adding that it could cover the remaining 22 states and Union Territories covering nearly 40 crore electors.
The poll authority had held back its rollout due to assembly elections in Kerala, Assam, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal held last month.
The officials said SIR could be rolled out in the “coming days” as the poll process is now complete.
So far, SIR has been carried out in 10 states and three UTs. They are Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Puducherry, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Goa and Bihar.
A ‘special revision’ of electoral rolls was carried out in Assam.
Sixty crore of the nearly 99 crore voters have been covered in the clean-up exercises of these voters’ list.
The remaining nearly 40 crore electors will be covered in the proposed exercise in 17 states and five UTs.
On February 19, the poll authority had asked 22 states and UTs including Delhi to complete preparatory work related to SIR at the earliest as the exercise is “expected to start from April”.
Once the exercise is completed, all states and UTs will be covered.
In a letter to the chief electoral officers of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Ladakh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Delhi, Odisha, Punjab, Sikkim, Tripura, Telangana and Uttakrakhand, the poll authority said pan-India SIR of voters’ list was ordered in June last year.
Due to a variety of reasons, SIR has seen frequent tweaking in schedules.
For instance, in Bihar, political parties had approached the Supreme Court challenging SIR in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
Recently, TMC president and then West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee personally pleaded before a bench of the chief justice of India against the poll roll cleanup exercise in her state.
As the EC was preparing for SIR in Bihar, its officials had claimed that several nationals from Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar were found by its grassroots level functionaries.
But eventually, the poll authority did not share any numbers or proof of such people who were not eligible to be on the voters’ list.
Opposition parties had dubbed the EC’s claims as a ploy to carry out SIR to target electors not aligned to the BJP and its allies.
The combined voters’ list of nine states and three UTs has been pruned by 10.2 per cent following the SIR exercise carried out by the Election Commission, with over 60 lakh dead voters removed, data shared by the poll authority and its state officials shows.
When phase II of the SIR of electoral rolls was announced by the EC on October 27, the voter base across the 12 states and UTs stood at more than 50.99 crore.
Post the exercise, the voters’ list stands at 45.81 crore — a decline of over 5.18 crore. In percentage terms, the electoral rolls have been reduced by 10.2 per cent.
As many as 66,88,636 deceased electors have been removed from the rolls, with the maximum of 25.47 lakh from Uttar Pradesh, followed by 24.16 lakh from West Bengal.
Additionally, 63.16 lakh names were deleted following objections and adjudication during the SIR exercise.
The second phase of SIR has now been completed with the final electoral rolls of 10 states and three UTs published on different dates.
While the exercise, which kept the EC in the news, had earlier been completed in Bihar, the second phase with nearly 51 crore electors has now concluded. (PTI)
LONDON, May 11: An Indian doctoral student from Tamil Nadu, who moved to Scotland on a student visa just four years ago, has turned a local election victory into a wider debate on immigration, identity and representation in UK politics.
Q Manivannan, who identifies as non-binary and claims to represent “diversity in power”, is among the newest members of the Scottish Parliament – also referred to as Holyrood.
The PhD student was elected to the devolved Scottish Parliament on the Edinburgh and Lothians East regional list for the pro-independence Scottish Greens. The results for the elections held last week were announced on May 9.
“My name is Dr Q Manivannan, I am a transgender Tamil immigrant, my pronouns are they/them,” said Manivannan, standing among his supporters.
“I am to some in this country everything that the hateful despise and I am standing here as your MSP (Member of the Scottish Parliament) now with care. They say politics is the art of the possible, a politics of care I would say expands what is possible for everyone left behind, pushed out or never invited in,” the Indian student said.
Born in Tamil Nadu, Manivannan moved to Scotland in 2021 on a student visa to pursue a course in international relations at the University of Andrews.
Ahead of the election victory, the Indian national was in the process of online crowdfunding for a Graduate Visa, which grants doctoral students the right to live and work in the UK for three years beyond their student visa.
“Every barrier placed before me with the Greens was the reason also that we pushed further. This is what diversity looks like in power,” said Manivannan, who uses the pronouns they/them.
Their election has drawn criticism from anti-immigration voices over rules that allow some foreign nationals living in Scotland to contest elections.
“Dr Manivannan may be a nice young person. But I don’t want to live in a country where people on student visas can become elected representatives to national parliaments,” said Robert Jenrick, former Tory minister and now shadow chancellor in the anti-immigration Reform UK.
The Indian student’s MSP candidature was possible as a Commonwealth national under a rule change that allows foreigners on even short-term visas and without indefinite leave to remain (ILR) or those with permanent residency to be eligible for elections in Scotland.
“Politicians should commit to removing the automatic right of Commonwealth citizens to vote in UK elections, and the ability of non-British citizens to stand in British elections,” stated Migration Watch, an independent pressure group campaigning for immigration curbs.
Co-leader of the Scottish Greens, Gillian Mackay, told reporters that the party would be supporting Manivannan through the process of a new visa application.
“There will have to be a renewal of Q’s visa. That is a process they will have to complete over the session of Parliament,” Greens said.
Manivannan’s campaign pamphlet describes him as a politics PhD student, arts worker, co-convenor of Scottish Green Party’s Palestine Solidarity Group, former United Nations health and disability worker and immigrant.
“If my mere existence causes this much trouble, I’m excited to see how much my words will,” Manivannan said in a social media post after the election results on Saturday.
The Scottish Greens said the Scottish Parliament had “rightly and explicitly” chosen to permit people like the “queer Tamil immigrant” to contest the May 7 elections to “bring a politics of care and compassion to Holyrood”.
“Q is on a valid visa with the right to work and live in Scotland, and is a Commonwealth citizen. The UK’s visa system is needlessly expensive and hostile, and we are determined to replace it with one that welcomes people with care rather than throwing up hurdles and barriers,” a party spokesperson said.
The leftist Scottish Greens made significant gains in last week’s election, in Scotland and in local councils across England. (PTI)
