While the radical Islamic organisation Popular Front of India (PFI) has said that it has come together with TMC to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act, TMC seems to be distancing itself from it.
According to ANI, Hasibul Islam, a senior member of radical Islamic organisation Popular Front of India(PFI) on Thursday said that they will be organizing a protest on January 5 against the Citizenship Amendment Act in Murshidabad. Islam said that Murshidabad Trinamool Congress MP Abu Taher Khan will also be a part of the protest.
Responding to PFI’s invitation, Trinamool MP Abu Taher Khan stated that he has no knowledge about such protests in Murshidabad organised by PFI. However, Khan without distancing himself from the PFI, stated that he can not do anything if PFI mentioned his name in the protest posters.
Trinamoold Congress (TMC) MP from Murshidabad, Abu Taher Khan: I have no knowledge about this (PFI claimed he will attend their protest against CAA on 5th January). If they have mentioned my name in their poster, I can not do anything about it. https://t.co/fklqlCyJFH
As radical Islamic organisations created unrest across the country, the state of West Bengal under Mamata Banerjee deliberately chose to remain on sidelines fearing more violence by these Muslim mobs. The rampage of the Muslim mob continued for many days in West Bengal under the watch of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as the administration did not even attempt to control the riots that destroyed crores worth of public infrastructure.
It would be rather unsurprising to see if Mamata Banerjee led TMC were to join hands with PFI to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act. The PFI, which is currently active in seven states of India, is responsible for activities that disrupt peace and harmony in the country.
It is pertinent to note that PFI is behind violent communal riots in various states especially in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Karnataka that took place during the anti-CAA protests.
According to Delhi police, around 150 members of the radical Islamist outfit PFI had entered Delhi from different states on the 13th of December, two days before the violence in Jamia Millia Islamia University. They had, according to the police and intelligence agencies hid in the Jamia area before the violence broke out.
The Uttar Pradesh Police had also stated that radical Islamist groups like Popular Front of India (PFI) and mainstream political parties conspired to perpetrate violence and unleash riots during the anti-CAA protests in various parts of the state on December 20.
In connection with the riots, the Uttar Pradesh police had arrested 25 members of the Islamic fundamentalist outfit-Popular Front of India for their involvement in different criminal activities during the protests held against the Citizenship Amendment Act throughout the state.
Further, the intelligence reports shared with the Ministry of Home Affairs also noted that some ‘political parties’ and banned radical Islamist outfits like SIMI and PFI are behind the violent protests in several places across the country.
A report in OneIndia suggests that preaching radical Islam is a lucrative job where people are being offered as high as Rs 40 lakh to radicalise the youth. Kerala, which has over the last few years emerged as a hub for radical Islam, has several such groups where radicalising of youth takes place.
In a bid to crack the whip on various Islamist organisation operating in the country to radicalise youths and carry out various violent activities, the Union Home Ministry has now sought reports from states and intelligence agencies about the funding of these outfits from various Islamic countries, particularly from countries in the Middle East.
The ministry has sought detailed information about the names of Islamist outfits and the fundings these groups have received in the last five years. The ministry has also sought details about their activities.
These details have been sought after a few instances came to light wherein a Kerala based Islamist radical organisation received funds from the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Qatar.
“On September 19, a senior member of the radical Islamist outfit visited Dubai where he was offered Rs 40 lakh in Indian currency for spreading certain ideologies,” said a senior IPS officer to Outlook, adding that the identified Islamist group is carrying out anti-India activities.
In another similar case which came to the fore, members of the same organisation met a few people from Turkey in Qatar and sought funding for spreading jihad against non-Muslim communities.
Funding from radical organisations in Gulf countries has never been addressed in Kerala. This is a cause of concern especially given the illicit trade between the Gulf and Kerala. This can also be attributed due to appeasement politics, which was the hallmark of the previous Congress-led alliance in Kerala, which ruled under the banner of the United Democratic Front.
However, reports from the MHA and Wikileaks suggests that funding from the Gulf is immense- an example here states that India received Rs. 1,700 Crore funds from Saudi Arabia in 2015.
While the government has taken steps by cancelling the FCRA Licences of Muslim organisation with dubious transactions, more seems to be done to address radicalisation. According to the report from the National Investigative Agency (NIA), PFI has been receiving funds through clandestine means from the Gulf.
The senior IPS officer further told Outlook that radicalisation has been rampant in Kerala where many youths are being trapped by such radical Islamist groups. “First, these groups need to be identified and later legal actions can be taken against such illegal activities,” the officer explained.
Earlier, the NIA also claimed that PFI has been allegedly involved in influencing the youth, many of whom have backgrounds in medicine and engineering to join ISIS and wage war in Afghanistan and the middle east. ISIS in Afghanistan has released videos commemorating ‘martyrs’ from Kerala and urging many more from the state to join them in their fight. In a strategic operation based on information about ISIS recruiters operating in northern Kerala, the Kerala police launched Operation Pigeon and saved 350 people from joining ISIS.
“More than a dozen people have been arrested and NIA has registered several cases under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against suspected ISIS members,” the officer said, furthering that since the crackdown on suspected terror outfits in Kerala, a few radical Islamist originations have started to indulge in anti-India activities after receiving funds from foreign soil.
As violent protests by Muslim mobs across the country against Citizenship Amendment Act (anti-CAA riots) could not achieve any substantial gains, the Islamists have now come up with another staged ‘protests’ at Shaheen Bagh, where women are being applauded for capturing a bus stop and essentially blocking a highway to ‘protest’ against the Citizenship Amendment Act. It seems that the protestors at the Shaheen Bagh had expected some sort of political support to market these ‘protests’. However, the opposition party leaders like Gandhi-scion Priyanka Vadra and Rahul Gandhi of Congress, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia have simply overlooked these anti-CAA protestors, triggering Islamists and ultra-left elements who are backing these so-called peaceful protests.
After Congress started receiving widespread criticism for their support to Islamist mobs that went on a rampage in various parts of the country, Congress is now beginning to keep mum on these ‘protests’.
The organisers and supporters of the ‘protests’ are now fuming against the opposition leaders, especially Arvind Kejriwal for deserting them and are questioning their silence on the anti-CAA protests at Shaheen Bagh.
Another protestor claimed that there are daily protests going on at Shaheen Bagh, where women are protesting with their small kids in cold winter but Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has not been there even once.
There’s daily protest going on at Shaheen Bagh, women are protesting with their small kids in cold winter. And, Arvind Kejriwal hasn’t been there for once! That’s not done.
Another attacked Arvind Kejriwal for his absence from anti-CAA protests. She said the absence of Kejriwal meant that he has disassociated from the ‘Muslim’ optics which showed how cheap Muslim lives are for him.
Not to forget his absence from Daryaganj, Kalkaji & everywhere.
He can wilfully disassociate from the ‘Muslim’ optics but that only shows how cheap Muslim lives are for him.
The opposition parties especially Aam Aadmi Party seems to have learnt their lesson hard way. Arvind Kejriwal who once sided with the anti-India establishment in JNU episode and his subsequent demand from the armed forces to submit proof for both surgical strikes and Balakot airstrikes had not gone well in the electoral politics.
In fact, AAP received flak after its leader Amanatullah Khan was booked for instigating anti-CAA mob violence.
As Delhi elections are just months away, Delhi Chief Minister does not want to side with Islamists and ultra-left wing elements fearing a backlash from majority nationalist Hindus. The Aam Aadmi Party seems to have consciously chosen not to join hands with these protestors at a time they are already losing tractions in the Delhi after one of their ministers Amanatullah Khan openly incited Muslim mobs in Delhi to indulge in violent protests during anti-CAA protests.
However, it is interesting to see why both Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi are tightlipped on Shaheen Bagh protests. Priyanka Gandhi, who had visited India Gate to support violent mobs has chosen not to extend her support to Shaheen Bagh following the backlash that her party faced across the country.
It is pertinent to note that several Congress leaders have been booked for the anti-CAA riots by Muslim mobs that have gripped the nation.
While investigating the incidents of statewide violence which occurred on December 21, the Patna Police recently got their hands on Congress leader Ashutosh Sharma who has been accused of attacking media people during the Bihar bandh and has been on the run since then. Congress leader Ashutosh Sharma was caught on camera assaulting journalists at the Dak Bungalow Chowk in Patna. The Congress leader was reportedly on the run after the case was registered against him.
The crime branch of Ahmedabad police had nabbed a Congress leader for posting a fake and misleading video on social media which incited a Muslim mob during a protest march at Shah-e-Alam, Gujarat, where several police officials were brutally attacked by Muslim mobs.
Congress party’s minority cell member Umar Khan Pathan had shared a video on social media in which a police action against rioters from Lucknow was passed on as an incident in Ahmedabad stoking violence in the Shah-e-Alam. The fake news had unleashed a violent Muslim mob, who attacked and injured more than 25 policemen on duty.
The Ahmedabad Police had arrested Congress Corporator Shehzad Khan Pathan along with 32 others for carrying out the deadly attack during anti-CAA riots on police personnel. They have been booked for attempt to murder, rioting and assaulting police.
Additionally, Six people including four local politicians and the former Congress MLA were named as suspects in the Delhi Police FIR related to Jamia violence. The Delhi Police had named former Congress MLA Asif Khan as one of the accused in its FIR.
Suhasini Haidar, the National Editor and Diplomatic Affairs Editor of The Hindu published an article today headlined “The new worry of depleting diplomatic capital” indicating that “It would be a gross misreading by India to dismiss global reactions to its domestic events as interference in its affairs”. Essentially, the op-ed by Suhasini Haidar argued that with respect to Kashmir, Citizenship Amendment Act etc, India should take note of adverse reactions from the USA and other countries as it indicates the growing disenchantment with India.
However, in The Hindu’s bid to malign the Modi government and questions its diplomatic and foreign policy prowess while undermining its national interest decision domestically, Suhasini Haidar ends up peddling several blatant lies.
Lie 1: Number of Democrats present at Howdy Modi
Suhasini Haidar writes (emphasis ours):
“The impact of these policies has been most keenly felt in ties with the U.S., where bipartisan support for India has been the norm for at least two decades. The whittling away of Democrat support was evident early on during the “Howdy Modi” event in September 2019, where only three out of the two dozen lawmakers at the event were from the Democratic Party; the party, especially under Mr Obama, had been very supportive of the Modi government”.
Suhasini Haidar says that the failing diplomatic ties of India are evident from the fact that only 2 out of the dozen lawmakers present at the Howdy Modi event at Houston, Texas were from the Democratic Party.
However, the assertion itself is far from the truth. There were not two, but 7 lawmakers present at the Howdy Modi event who were from the Democratic Party.
The list of lawmakers who attended the Howdy Modi event was tweeted by journalist Tanvi Madan.
From the list, there are 6 lawmakers who are from the Democratic Party. The lawmakers are:
1. Rep. Steny Hoyer ( D- Maryland) Majority leader in the house of Representatives
2. Rep Caroline Maloney (D- New York)
3. Rep Sheila Lee Jackson (D- Texas)
4. Rep Danny Davis (D- Illinois)
5. Rep Raja Krishnamurthy (D- Illinois)
6. Rep Tom Suozzy ( D- New York)
An Seventh Democratic Party representative, Al Green pulled out from attending the Howdy Modi event not because of his imaginary opposition to Prime Minister Modi but because of his domestic political reasons. That fact is evidenced by the statement published on his official website.
Al Green made clear that him not attending the Howdy Modi event was because of his opposition to President Donald Trump and had nothing to do with India, its domestic policies or Prime Minister Modi.
It is thus interesting that Suhasini Haider would not only lie blatantly but also insinuate, based on her lie that the diplomatic relations between India and the USA have deteriorated based on her lie.
What is also interesting is that Suhanisi Haidar doesn’t seem to realise that diplomatic relations between two countries often does not solely depend on the party in power but the benefits that the countries can mutually draw from each other.
Lie 2: Adverse statements issued by bipartisan committees and Pramila Jayapal as a marker that diplomatic ties have worsened
Suhasini Haidar makes it sound like the statements and resolutions against the decision of India in Kashmir to abrogate Article 370 and to pass CAA have some sort of official sanction from the government of the USA.
As regards the comments by the House of Representatives, a resolution is not put up to President for signature. It only conveys the sense of the house if voted to by a majority of the members of the house of representatives. Resolution of Rep. Jayapal is only in the house of representatives and at the moment has only 2 Republican cosponsors. One is Steve Watkins whose election to the House is being probed and the other is the Chair of the Pakistan Caucus in the House, official sources have confirmed.
Resolutions are never put up to the President of the United States. They remain in the record/proceedings of the house or senate from where it originated.
Official sources have confirmed to OpIndia that at the moment, only the House Foreign Affairs Committee has put out statements or tweets. The Tom Lantos Commission is not a committee of the House of Representatives. It is also wrong to say that the State Department has issued statements of concern. Anyone who witnessed the 2+2 press conference and headed Secretary Pompeo would verify that. This was further substantiated in the briefing by the Assistant Secretary.
Lie 3: Lie by omission – The Congress era
The Congress regime from 2004 to 2014 had seen some similar statements against their policies as well. The cacophony right now is arguably louder because the steps taken by the Modi government in the national interest are also far bigger, however, such statements are not new.
With India’s economy slumping, when then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was set to meet then-President Obama, Bill Antholis, managing director of The Brookings Institution and a former economic adviser in the Clinton administration had said, “What you essentially have is a politically weak, compromised, lame-duck prime minister”.
In 2010, USA had accused India of stealing jobs of Americans and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had tried to assuage those fears.
In 2012, A letter to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh from organisations such as the CBI, the US National Foreign Trade Council and Japan Foreign Trade Council says tax proposals call into question the rule of law, due process, and fair treatment in India”.
Human Rights Watch in 2008 had raised serious concerns over India’s FCRA rules. It had said, “Both the existing Act and the proposed Bill are in clear breach of international human rights law and other international standards. Instead of being in the company of other democracies, the FCRA and FCRB leave the world’s largest democracy in the company of a number of autocratic states well known for their restrictive policies towards nongovernmental organizations and for their poor respect for freedom of association”.
In fact, in 2008, The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has urged President George Bush to raise concerns about religious freedom in India with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
“The US government can and should urge the Indian central government to make more vigorous and effective efforts to stem violence against religious minority communities,” Commission Chair Felice D. Gaer had said in a letter to Bush.
The letter had urged Bush to ask Manmohan Singh “to ensure the immediate security of Indian citizens – security that is undermined by recurrent attacks on religious minorities and communities”. “If India is to exercise global leadership as the largest and perhaps most pluralistic democracy in the world, Prime Minister Singh should demonstrate his government’s commitment to upholding the basic human rights obligations to which it has agreed, including the protection of religious minorities,” Gaer had said.
Suggesting that the “Indian government’s response to the egregious violence in Orissa remains inadequate”, USCIRF said in its view, “the severity and extent of these attacks warrant a national-level investigation and response”.
While this is only the tip of the ice-berg, the point is that such statements have always emanated from the West as often, the West is incapable of understanding the unique dynamics and needs of India. However, the FCRA rules, for example, were passed as what is necessary for National Security must be done regardless of motivated Western cacophony. Similar is the case with the Modi government and steps such as Article 370 and CAA, however, propagandists like Suhasini Haidar have failed to take this aspect into consideration while deriding India and the Modi government.
Lie 4: India impervious to Ms Hasina’s repeated requests for help in the Rohingya refugee issue
Suhasini Haidar in her report writes (emphasis ours):
Some in Sheikh Hasina’s government has pointed out that the Modi government’s desire to naturalise only one group of immigrants from Bangladesh but castigate the others as “illegal immigrants” and “termites” cannot but be seen in a communal light. If India’s motivation was compassion for the religiously persecuted, they ask, then why was the Modi government so impervious to Ms Hasina’s repeated requests for help in the Rohingya refugee issue?
This is an outright lie and least expected from a journalist of Haidar’s standing. India has extended timely help to Bangladesh and even Myanmar as far as the Rohingya crisis is concerned.
Speaking to OpIndia, officials in response to the article by Suhasini Haidar said, “India was not impervious to the humanitarian situation – Indian assistance was timely and adequate”.
Interestingly, it must be noted that Suhasini has long believed that extremist Rohingyas must be accepted by India as refugees and India has clarified that we will not be doing that. Not only do Rohingya’s pose a real security threat, but they enter through Islamic Bangladesh and not Myanmar thereby not making them persecuted minorities.
Lie 5: USCIRF wanting to impose “sanctions” on Amit Shah can lead to trouble for India
Suhasini Haidar says, “First, not all statements and resolutions are empty rhetoric, and could lead to worrisome measures against India. The U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has already recommended sanctions be considered for Home Minister Amit Shah and other officials. While this may be considered an extreme step, even laughable, it must be remembered that it was the USCIRF that first recommended a visa ban against Mr Modi, as Gujarat Chief Minister, in 2005. To date, he remains the only individual worldwide sanctioned thus under the U.S.’s International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. In the U.S. Congress too, lawmakers can effectively block defence sales to India, or pursue sanctions on the S-400 missile system purchase from Russia, for example, regardless of support in the Trump administration for India”.
This is just classic fear-mongering by Suhasini Haidar to mislead unsuspecting readers into believing that India is being somehow cornered.
Firstly, USCIRF is not recognised by India and the Commission has not been to India for over a decade. Therefore, the statements by USCIRF are just that – empty rhetoric.
Secondly, as mentioned earlier, Suhasini craftily hides the fact that USCIRF, a biased organisation, to begin with, has been making such statements since the time of Congress.
The Hindu itself has reported that USCIRF had put India on a ‘Watchlist‘ for religious intolerance and violence against minorities in 2009 under the Congress regime.
Hindu story from 2009
In fact, it was around the same time that Shah Rukh Khan was detained while travelling to Chicago and the incident had sparked widespread outrage after he was released following Diplomatic intervention.
Conclusion
Essentially, The Hindu op-ed by Suhasini Haidar is a masterclass in fear-mongering. The op-ed doesn’t aim to explain to readers real diplomatic terms or even foreign policy, but instil fear in the reader with regards to diplomatic relations to simply extort the Indian government into bowing to “liberal” and “secular” demands. A juvenile, lie-ridden and shoddy explainer from none other than the National Editor and Diplomatic Affairs Editor of The Hindu is a shocker and only proves that India’s “new worry”, as Suhasini puts it is not of “depleting diplomatic capital” but the depleting ethics and intelligence of Indian journalists.
The protests and riots against the Citizenship Amendment Act (2019) have gripped the country for over two weeks now. The riots, which started from the Jamia Millia Islamia University soon spread to several parts of the nation with Islamist mobs rampaging, indulging in violence, arson and vandalism. A video has now gone viral where Jamia students along with Jamia Nagar locals, from where the riots started, are seen ushering in the new year by singing the National Anthem.
In the video, Jamia Nagar locals along with Jamia Millia Islamia students can be seen singing the National Anthem as they ushered in the new year.
Many people hailed the gesture as the true culture of Jamia Millia Islamia and termed it ‘heartwarming’.
May our country triumph over all that threatens her dignity!
May these voice of India’s young carry us through the darkness of all nights. https://t.co/3aLTPSzIcP
When Others are Partying around, Jamia Sings national Anthem to Welcome New Year and don’t forget the temp in Delhi .
Revolution 2020 ✌️ pic.twitter.com/I54dFKr51c
While many saw the gesture as Jamia students’ and Shaheen Bagh residents’ display of patriotism, many also saw it as a gesture to distract people from the severely Islamist nature of the protests. It was from Jamia Millia Islamia that the riots started. The “protests” against CAA saw widespread stone-pelting and violence and also chants of ‘Hinduon se Azadi’.
However, amidst the battle of narratives, there was something else far more concerning. Allegations soon emerged that the National Anthem being sung by the Jamia students was inaccurate.
While Jamia students, Islamists and Liberals used this video to shift the narrative from rampant violence and Islamism to say that the Jamia students were true patriots, many alleged that certain words in the National Anthem being sung by the Jamia students were inaccurate.
Defence Analyst Abhijit Iyer-Mitra alleged that the Jamia students who sang the National Anthem to usher in 2020 sang ‘Gahe SAVA Jaya Gaatha’ which is incorrect, as the correct words are ‘Gahe TAVA Jaya Gaatha’.
OpIndia found that the allegation is correct. In a clear video that was uploaded on YouTube by journalist Saahil Menghani, the error in singing the National Anthem by the student leading the protest is evident.
If one listens to from 0:12 minute mark, one can clearly hear the person on the mic making that mistake.
In the video, the person leading the singing of the National Anthem can be heard singing ‘Gahe SAB JAB Gaatha’. While it is clear that the person leading the singing is saying ‘Gahe SAB JAB Gaatha’, even if he was saying ‘Gahe SAB Jaya Gaatha’, he would have been incorrect. The real words of the National Anthem are ‘Gahe TAVA JAYA Gaatha’.
The anti-CAA riots at Jamia had taken an ugly turn with widespread stone-pelting and violence. Intelligence report had indicated that over 150 members of radical Islamist PFI had come to Delhi from other cities and hid in the Jamia Nagar area for two days before the riots broke out. The Jamia students were also heard raising anti-Hindu slogans like ‘Hinduon se Azadi’ during the protests against Citizenship Amendment Act.
Days after former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav said that he and his Samajwadi Party (SP) members will not fill up National Population Register (NPR) forms, Uttar Pradesh BJP president Swatantra Dev Singh on Wednesday said the Samajwadi Party chief should stay in Pakistan for a month to understand the atrocities being faced by Hindus there, reports ANI.
BJP Uttar Pradesh President, Swatantra Dev Singh: Akhilesh ji should go to Pakistan & offer prayers at a temple for one month, he will understand what happens there. He does not know what he wants, he should read about Citizenship Amendment Act & National Population Register. pic.twitter.com/uRnlHzBh2B
“Akhilesh should stay in Pakistan for one month and pray in Hindu temples, then he will have the first-hand experience of atrocities committed on Hindus in Pakistan,” the state BJP chief said. Swatantra Dev Singh’s remarks come after Akhilesh Yadav had said that the National Population Register (NPR) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) were against the poor and minorities of the country while claiming that he will not fill up the NPR form.
Singh said that there is nothing wrong in the NPR as it provides simple options like the presentation of Aadhaar card or driving license or confirmation by three residents of the area that the person is a bonafide resident of the area.
He added that before opposing the NPR, CAA or NRC, Akhilesh should study them properly. “He should understand what is NPR, it is nothing, one will be asked to provide identity proofs like Aadhaar Card, driving licence or three persons in your neighbourhood who know you,” Singh added.
Reportedly, Singh also attacked Gandhi-scion Priyank Gandhi Vadra, accused Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra of misguiding the people on the law. “The visit of Priyanka to victims of riots with the sole purpose of misguiding them and creating a ruckus is objectionable since people are misguided about the CAA,” said Singh while speaking to the media at a gaushala in Vrindavan.
Defending the Citizenship Amendment Act, Singh said there should be healthy politics as the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) is in the interest of the poor.
Swatantra Dev Singh said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are trying to give a respectable life to persecuted minorities from Pakistan. He said that neither Hindus nor Muslims will vote for the Congress and Samajwadi Party as they took a negative stance on the CAA.
The Citizenship Amendment act seeks to give Indian citizenship to the members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have come from three neighbouring Islamic countries – Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh after facing religious persecution.
The Act states the refugees of the six communities will be given Indian citizenship after residing in India for five years, instead of earlier requirement of 11 years. The Act also proposes to give immunity to such refugees facing legal cases after being found as illegal migrants. The cut-off date for granting citizenship will be December 31, 2014.
A day after the Congress politician and ‘activist’ Nellai Kannan was booked for calling for the murder of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, the Tamil Nadu police arrested him on Tuesday night.
Reportedly, the arrest came hours after BJP’s senior leaders staged a sit-in protest at Gandhi Statue in Marina beach, demanding Nellai Kannan’s arrest. Senior BJP leaders Pon Radhakrishnan, CP Radhakrishnan, L Ganeshan and H Raja had led the protests.
To evade the arrest, Kannan had on Monday got himself admitted to a hospital but was discharged following which he had gone underground. On Tuesday evening, tracking his mobile phone signal, the police located him in Perambalur district in central Tamil Nadu and immediately detained him.
A senior police officer said that Kannan would be handed over to the Tirunelveli police and then the jurisdictional authority will formally arrest him.
Nellai Kannan has fought elections on a Congress ticket in the past and is largely viewed as a Congress supporting voice.
On December 29, in a meeting that was called by the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the Tamil academician was heard brazenly inciting the Muslims gathered there, by telling them that “he expected but no Muslim doing it”, hinting that he expected that the Muslims in the country would kill Home Minister Amit Shah for implementing the Citizenship Amendment Act, which they have been falsely claiming to be anti-Muslims, but no Muslim has yet killed him.
Nellai Kannan had said that Home Minister Amit Shah is acting as the brain behind PM Modi and that if his story was ‘finished’, that of the PM would also be over too. “If his story is finished, then the story of the PM would also be over. I was expecting something to happen, but no Muslim is doing it,” Kannan said during the rally.
Reportedly, he had also made critical comments against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K.Palaniswami, Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and others
More than 15 cases were filed against by Nellai Kannan and police have also filed a separate FIR under three sections of IPC. Kannan has been booked under Sections 504, 505(1) and 505(2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) after various BJP leaders registered multiple complaints against the writer.
Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati today took to Twitter to call out Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi’s hypocrisy over silence over the deaths of 100 children in government-run hospital in Kota, Rajasthan in the month of December.
1. कांग्रेस शासित राजस्थान के कोटा जिले में हाल ही में लगभग 100 मासूम बच्चों की मौत से माओं का गोद उजड़ना अति-दुःखद व दर्दनाक। तो भी वहाँ के सीएम श्री गहलोत स्वयं व उनकी सरकार इसके प्रति अभी भी उदासीन, असंवेदनशील व गैर-जिम्मेदार बने हुए हैं, जो अति-निन्दनीय।
Mayawati tweeted that in Kota in Congress-ruled Rajasthan, about 100 children have died. It is extremely painful for the mothers. “Despite this, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his government representatives continue to remain oblivious and insensitive towards the same. This is highly condemnable,” she tweeted.
3. यदि कांग्रेस की महिला राष्ट्रीय महासचिव राजस्थान के कोटा में जाकर मृतक बच्चों की ‘‘माओं‘‘ से नहीं मिलती हैं तो यहाँ अभी तक किसी भी मामले में यू.पी. पीड़ितों के परिवार से मिलना केवल इनका यह राजनैतिक स्वार्थ व कोरी नाटकबाजी ही मानी जायेगी, जिससे यू.पी. की जनता को सर्तक रहना है।
But even more unfortunate has been the top leadership of Congress, especially the general secretary who is a woman herself (Priyanka Gandhi Vadra), who continues to remain silent, Mayawati tweeted. “It would have been nice if she had gone to Rajasthan also and met those mothers who lost their children, the way she did for Uttar Pradesh. Especially since they lost their children due to the negligence of the government ruled by her party,” she added.
In a strongly worded tweet, Mayawati further cautioned the Uttar Pradesh citizens about the politics at play by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. “If despite this, she does not go and meet the mothers of the children who died in Kota, then it must be concluded that whatever she has done in Uttar Pradesh, it has been her political move and strategy. Uttar Pradesh people should be wary of this,” Mayawati tweeted.
On Wednesday, Assam cabinet minister Himanta Biswa Sarma met Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss the issue of NRC implementation in the state and said that ‘good news’ regarding the same was coming soon.
Happy to spend this #NewYear afternoon with Sri @AmitShah whom I adore for his clear thoughts. Had a long discussion with him about identity issues of Assamese, aspirations of our tribals community and strengthening nationalist thought process in NE. Will hear some good news soon
“Had a long discussion with him (Shah) about identity issues of Assamese, aspirations of our tribal communities and strengthening nationalist thought process in Northeast. Will hear some good news soon,” Sarma tweeted.
A meeting of Bharatiya Janata Party leaders chaired by its president and Home Minister Amit Shah was held at the party headquarters on Wednesday to discuss the issues regarding CAA outreach programme. Senior leader Sarma was also present at the meeting.
Allaying the fears of Assamese population on rumours that 1.3 crore people will come to Assam following the passage of Citizenship Amendment Act, Sarma recently reiterated that 5.4 lakh people will be eligible for citizenship in the state under the new law.
Amidst protests in certain parts of Assam against the Citizenship Amendment Act, Himanta Biswa Sarma had recently expressed hope that BJP would come back to power in the state in 2021 assembly polls by winning at least 100 out of 126 assembly seats.
The process to update the NRC began in Assam following a Supreme Court order in 2013, with the state’s nearly 33 million people having to prove that they were Indian nationals prior to March 24, 1971. The updated final NRC was released on August 31, with over 1.9 million applicants failing to make it to the list.
However, the fate of the Assam NRC has been in limbo since then after Home Minister Amit Shah told Parliament in November that a fresh NRC for Assam will be conducted along with a nationwide NRC.
The Assam government has also said that if a pan-India NRC does not happen then the state will approach the Supreme Court and the NRC in its presence will not be accepted under any circumstance.
At least nine more newborn babies have died in last two days of December in government-run JK Lon Hospital. On 23-24 December, a total of 10 babies had died in the hospital in Kota drawing severe criticism. The total deaths of children in the hospital in the month of December is 100.
As reported by news agency PTI, the hospital superintendent has claimed that the deaths of these newborns is due to the low weight at birth. JK Lon is the biggest government hospital for children and receives as many as 200-300 patients in the OPD every day. Following the deaths of the children, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) had issued a show-cause notice to the Chief Medical And Health Officer of Kota District, BS Tanwar, to look into these deaths. The Commission has directed Tanwar to appear in person on January 3 to explain reasons for not sharing the report on action taken with the Commission.
The NCPCR also observed that pigs were found roaming inside the campus. “It was evident that there was no glass in windows panes, gates were broken and as a result the admired children were suffering from extreme weather condition,” the report further stated.
Following the deaths of the children, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had dismissively said that children die and that there is nothing new in it.
Rajasthan CM on Kota child deaths: This year has least deaths in last 6 yrs. Even 1 child death is unfortunate.But thr hv been 1500,1300 deaths in a year in past,this year figure is 900.There are daily few deaths in every hospital in state&country,nothing new.Action being taken pic.twitter.com/86oSvPsGA3
Shockingly, the hospital has given a clean chit to itself by forming a committee to investigate the deaths, which has now ruled out any negligence saying resources and equipment were functioning properly.
