Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Member of Parliament Sanjay Singh was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on 4 September 2023 in connection with the Delhi liquor policy scam following 10-hour-long raids at his residence in Delhi. The arrest has sent shockwaves through the political landscape, with allegations of corruption and counter-allegations dominating headlines. It has now emerged from sources that ED has concrete evidence against AAP MP Sanjay Singh.
According to sources privy to the investigation, the ED claims to have concrete evidence that Sanjay Singh received substantial sums of money from an accused-turned-approver, Dinesh Arora, in the case. The ED has reportedly established a clear money trail between the two individuals. It is alleged that Singh played a significant role in formulating the now-defunct liquor policy and received kickbacks for his involvement.
Furthermore, sources indicate that the ED possesses additional statements beyond those of the approver, Dinesh Arora. This development prompted the ED to write to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to broaden the scope of the investigation.
Sanjay Singh’s arrest has added fuel to an already heated political feud between the AAP and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal condemned the arrest as “completely illegal” and suggested that it was driven by the BJP’s apprehension about the upcoming 2024 general parliamentary elections.
Sanjay Singh’s arrest is the second high-profile apprehension in the Delhi liquor policy case, following that of former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. Singh’s arrest comes shortly after Raghav Magunta, son of YSR Congress Party Lok Sabha MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, and businessman Dinesh Arora were allowed to turn approver in the money laundering case related to the alleged liquor policy scam.
In a video message recorded before his arrest, Singh vehemently denied the allegations against him and accused the ED of arresting him “without any evidence.” He pledged to continue his fight against corruption and asserted that he would not be intimidated.
Amidst the political turmoil, the BJP released posters highlighting the liquor scam allegations against AAP leaders. The opposition alliance also intensified its criticism of the central government in response to Singh’s arrest.
Arvind Kejriwal, who visited Sanjay Singh’s family after the arrest, called the ED’s actions a “last desperate attempt” by the ruling party and suggested that it reflected their fear of defeat in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Sanjay Singh is scheduled to appear in court today, where the ED will seek his custody for further questioning. The case continues to unravel, and with political tensions running high, it remains to be seen how this situation will impact the political landscape in Delhi.
Mohammad Zubair, the co-founder of propaganda website Alt News is nominated for an award, not the Nobel Peace Prize, but the Index on Censorship’s Freedom of Expression Awards 2023. The propagandist is nominated in the category of journalism alongside two others. The website of Index on Censorship (IoC) states that this award is given to “the people carrying out courageous, high-impact and determined journalism that exposes censorship and threats to free expression.”
Notably, Index on Censorship is a nonprofit that claims to defend “people’s freedom to express themselves without fear of harm or persecution.”
In a three-paragraph description of Mohammad Zubair, IoC mentioned that Zubair and others founded Alt News to “bust fake news to address flaws in the Indian media ecosystem” including “overt political pressure” and “opaque methods” employed by the government to fund certain media outlets. Furthermore, the Index of Censorship noted that since Zubair and Alt News have been amplifying ‘dissenting’ voices and creating barriers to prevent the spread of mis/disinformation, the outlet has “faced considerable social, litigious and political pressure to halt their work.”
IoC’s description of Zubair’s work calls the dog-whistling against Nupur Sharma by the usage of a cropped video as “exposing”
In the description, the IoC has blatantly whitewashed the act of sharing a cropped video without context as ‘exposing’. It is notable here that in the TV debate, Nupur Sharma was responding to derogatory and extremely Hinduphobic remarks given by an Islamist with details about Prophet Mohammad’s life as mentioned in Islamic scriptures. However, Zubair had intentionally cropped the part where Hinduphobic comments were made, and shared Sharma’s video without context, branding her statement as ‘Islamophobia’. The subsequent allegations of ‘blasphemy’, and the outrage it generated among radical Islamists caused multiple murders and several acts of violence and vandalism in India by Islamist elements.
In the description, the IoC has blatantly whitewashed the act of sharing a cropped video without context as ‘exposing’. It has hailed the act of branding some factual statements found in Islamic scriptures as ‘blasphemy’ and equated it with some kind of journalistic bravery, completely ignoring the fact that Islamists committed murder over it, and Nupur Sharma faces a threat of life due to Zubair’s actions.
AltNews and Zubair, the habitual fake news peddlers
Interestingly, while the IoC claims that Mohammad Zubair and his propaganda outlet are preventing the spread of mis/disinformation, the so-called fact-checking website often spreads fake news, obfuscates the truth, and invents details to shield Islamists and those opposed to the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party. In fact, Alt News’s Zubair himself has been called out for spreading lies and peddling fake news.
In July this year, Zubair shared a cropped video of Kanwariyas pelting stones in Bareilly to hide the fact that it was carried out in retaliation for an unproved attack by Islamists. By shrewdly avoiding the context of the video, he thus insinuated that it was somehow a ‘free-for-all’ case of stone pelting.
Prior to this, Zubair in June this year falsely suggested that YouTuber Akshat Shrivastava took money from the Union government to criticise the Congress party. Shrivastava later took to Twitter to lambast Zubair for his ‘half-baked research’ and ‘baseless allegations.’
A month earlier, Alt News co-founder and his lackey shared a cropped video to falsely claim that BJP Tamil Nadu chief, Annamalai, claimed credit for CSK’s win in the Indian Premier League.
Zubair had also used misinformation to target the BJP over the inauguration of the new Parliament building. The ‘ignorant’ fact-checker made it clear that he did not know the difference between the ‘foundation’ and ‘inauguration’ of a structure.
Alt News also attempted to shield Congress workers, who were allegedly heard raising ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans. Initially, he had claimed that there was no contentious sloganeering but later claimed that the proof was inconclusive. These are just a few instances where Zubair and Alt News have peddled fake news.
The Index for Censorship then mentions that in June last year, Mohammed Zubair ‘exposed’ a national spokesperson of the BJP who made ‘hateful’ and ‘Islamophobic’ remarks on national television. The organisation added that following his tweet exposing the BJP spokesperson, whose IoC decided not to mention, was arrested by Delhi Police and Uttar Pradesh Police. It goes on to lament over Zubair’s arrest and FIRs. The IoC downplayed the fact Mohammed Zubair dog whistled against Nupur Sharma. He is the man responsible for unleashing Islamists and jeopardising the safety of former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, who, due to the threats, continues to live a restricted life and makes rare public appearances.
Md Zubair had shared a cropped video to brand Nupur Sharma’s statement as ‘blasphemy’, subjecting her to death threats by Islamists
It is worth recalling that in May 2022, ex-BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma was part of a debate panel on Times Now, discussing the finding of Shivling in the Gyanvapi complex and the subsequent mockery of the Hindu Gods and Goddesses that followed in the wake of the discovery. Nupur Sharma in response to the repeated derogatory remarks being made by an Islamist on the debate panel made some comments about Prophet Muhammed’s life that is given in Islamic scriptures. The Alt News fact checker, however, shared an incomplete video of the debate, triggering Sar Tan Se Juda protests all over the country, the horrific killing of some supporters of Nupur Sharma and outrage in Islamic countries.
The question is why any organisation would nominate a fake news peddler and propagandist like Mohammed Zubair for an award despite being aware of these facts. The background of the Index for Censorship, including its funding sources, is the answer to the question.
IoC and its links to Soros and CIA
Taking to X, The Hawk Eye pointed out that the Index for Censorship is an organisation funded by controversial financier George Soros’s Open Society Foundations (OSF) which has been backing anti-India elements operating inside India. OpIndia has in detail covered OSF’s history and its anti-India activities.
“OSF (Soros), NED (alleged CIA’s leg), VICE funded org ‘Index on Censorship’ has nominated propaganda portal Alt News co-fo Md Zubair for an award. This is usual perks for ‘useful idiots’ for such orgs,” The Hawk Eye posted on X.
OSF (Soros), NED (alleged CIA's leg), VICE funded org 'Index on Censorship' has nominated propaganda portal Alt News co-fo Md Zubair for an award. This is usual perks for 'useful idiots' for such orgs.
In February this year, George Soros openly expressed his disdain for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and accused him of crony capitalism saying that he has good relationships with businessman Gautam Adani. In January 2020, the American billionaire committed $1 billion to start a global university to “fight nationalists” and climate change, calling them twin challenges that threaten the survival of our civilization. Soros had also accused PM Modi of creating a “Hindu nationalist state” adding that he is somehow threatening the Muslims to deprive them of their citizenship.
IoC’s website had mentioned NED and George Soros’ OSF among its list of donors.
Financial information given in IoC website
Another prominent body funding the Index for Censorship is National Endowment for Democracy which has often been labelled as the “second CIA”. Although the NED’s website states that it is a “nonprofit foundation dedicated to the growth and strengthening of democratic institutions around the world”, a 1985 NYT article mentioned that NED provided French right-wing student groups with $575000 to campaign against former president François Mitterrand. The NED has been accused of involvement in regime change operations in many countries including Bolivia, Venezuela and Ecuador.
It is interesting to note that NED’s founder Allen Weinstein had in 1991 said that what NED does today was done by the CIA secretly over 25 years back. “A lot of what we do today was done covertly 25 years ago by the CIA,” Weinstein said.
In February this year, OpIndia published a report detailing the connection between the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) and The Poynter Institute for Media Studies, which runs the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), both funded by George Soros’s Open Society Foundations and the propaganda portal Alt News.
The arrest of Prabir Purkayastha, founder and editor of NewsClick, along with HR head Amit Chakravarty by the Special Cell of Delhi Police on Tuesday, October 3rd, has catapulted this case into the spotlight. The duo was subsequently remanded to seven days of police custody by a Delhi court on October 4th.
Before Additional Sessions Judge Hardeep Kaur at Patiala House Courts, the police put forth their arguments for custodial interrogation of the duo. Their reasons included the need to unravel the entire conspiracy, confront the accused with evidence extracted from digital devices, complete the search at the PPK Newsclick office, and probe the accused about the content of incriminating emails. Notably, the police initially sought a 15-day extension of police custody for both individuals.
What has emerged as particularly shocking are the details within the remand note submitted by the police to the court. This document outlines various allegations, ranging from a conspiracy to disrupt the 2019 general elections to the dissemination of distorted maps of India.
What is there in the remand note submitted in the court
The remand note mentions that Prabir Purkayastha, Neville Roy Singham and some other Chinese employees of Neville Roy Singham-owned Shanghai-based Company by the name of StarStream have exchanged emails that expose their intent to not show Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh as part of India.
It also said that Prabir Purkayastha and others received funds to create dissatisfaction in India. These persons hatched a conspiracy to peddle a narrative, both globally and domestically, that Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh are disputed territories. The remand note states that their attempt to tinker with the northern borders of India amounts to an act intended towards undermining the unity and territorial integrity of India.
Special cell mentioned in the remand note, “A false narrative has been propagated to discredit the efforts of Indian Govt to contain Covid-19 Pandemic. It was learnt that Prabir Purkayastha conspired with a group namely People’s Alliance for Democracy and Secularism (PADS) to sabotage the electoral process during the 2019 General Elections.”
Special cell said in its remand note, “It is learnt that Gautam Navlakha, who has been a shareholder in PPK Newsclick Studio Pvt Ltd since its inception in the year 2018, remained involved in anti-Indian and unlawful activities such as actively supporting banned Naxal organisations and having anti-national nexus with Gulam Nabi Fai who is an agent of ISI of Pakistan. It was also learnt that Gautam Navlakha has been associated with Prabir Purkayastha since 1991 when they incorporated Sagrik Process Analyst Pvt Ltd.”
The note added, “During the course of the investigation, it has also come to the knowledge that ED has also registered a case Vide number F.No.: ECIR/14/HIU/2020, dated 14.08.23, against PPK Newsclick Studio Pvt ltd. and during the investigation they seized electronic gadgets pertaining to the company and the suspects named in the present FIR. The data extracted by them was received from their office in the five hard disks and the same was analysed. The data contain a total of 4.27 lacs emails in email dumps of Prabir Purkayastha, Amit Chakraborty and other suspects. It also contains a huge number of documents pertaining to the alleged company and alleged suspects.”
The special cell of Delhi police also underlined that the accused persons have conspired to disrupt supplies and services essential to the life of communities in India and abet damage and destruction of property by protraction of the farmers’ protest through such illegal foreign funding.
Crackdown on NewsClick
On 3rd October (late at night), a Delhi court sent Newsclick founder and editor Prabir Purkayastha to a 7-day police remand. HR head of the controversial news portal, Amit Chakravarty, has also been sent to police custody for seven days after being quizzed for hours.
The Delhi Police arrested both of them on 3rd October under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The special cell of the Delhi Police had registered an FIR in the matter on 17th August under Sections 13, 16, 17, 18, and 22 of the UAPA and Sections 153A and 120B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the news portal.
On 3rd October, the NewsClick office was raided and sealed by Delhi Police in connection to the case regarding foreign funding from China to propagate anti-India narratives. Apart from locations linked to NewsClick, the residences of 40 journalists were also raided by Delhi Police across the country as they were connected to the news portal. Teesta Setalvad, Abhisar Sharma, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yetchury, Sanjay Rajoura, and others were among those who faced action by the Delhi Police.
Reports suggest that around 46 people were questioned by the Delhi police, and their electronic devices and documents were seized during the raids for examination. The investigation against Newsclick for allegedly receiving funds from China started in 2021. In August 2023, a New York Times investigation also revealed that the portal received funds from China via businessman Neville Roy Singham.
Madhya Pradesh government has issued a notification for providing 35 percent reservation in recruitment to women, barring the Forest department in the state.
The state government has made amendment to the Madhya Pradesh Civils Services (Special Provision for Appointment of Women) Rules, 1997 to give 35% reservation to women.
#MadhyaPradesh makes amendment to the Madhya Pradesh Civils Services (Special Provision for Appointment of Women) Rules, 1997 providing 35% reservation in recruitment to women, barring the Forest Department. pic.twitter.com/jS6VKCn1OF
According to the copy of notification, “Notwithstanding anything contained in any service rules, there shall be reserved 35 percent of all posts in the service under the state (except Forest Department) in favour of women at the stage of direct recruitment and the said reservation shall be horizontal and compartment-wise.”
Earlier, CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan also announced to provide 35 percent reservation to women in police and other government jobs and 50 percent reservation for women in teaching posts. Priority would be given to women in local bodies, including aldermen and other positions. Education fees of girls will be borne by the government while ensuring better education to them.
Recently, the women’s reservation Bill passed by the Parliament, became law after it received assent from President Droupadi Murmu.
The ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhniyam’, which provides 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha as well as the state legislative assemblies, was unanimously passed by the Rajya Sabha, becoming the first bill to be passed in the new Parliament building.
On September 20, the Bill was passed following division with 454 members voting in favour of the legislation and two against it on the motion seeking its passage.
The amendments moved by the Opposition members were negative and separate clauses of the draft legislation were also voted on. On September 21, Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam was ‘unanimously’ passed in Rajya Sabha which marks the PM’s birthday according to the Hindu calendar.
Notably, Madhya Pradesh is scheduled to go for the assembly polls later this year. Through the polls, the state will elect legislators from 230 Assembly constituencies.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
In a recent revelation, it has come to light that Mohammad Arshad Warsi involved in the ISIS Pune module was also in contact with the conspirators of the anti-Hindu Delhi riots of 2020. Arshad Warsi, a terrorist in the guise of a Ph.D. student at Jamia, was arrested by the Special Cell on Monday, 2nd October for his involvement in various unlawful activities, including his association with ISIS (Pune module) and the planning of terrorist attacks within the country. Pertinently, Arshad Warsi’s name also featured in the Delhi anti-Hindu Riots chargesheets where he was constantly in touch with Sharjeel Imam.
Arshad Warsi played a significant role in orchestrating the conspiracy behind the communal violence during the CAA-NRC protests in Delhi. Moreover, his active involvement in setting up the protest site at Shaheen Bagh has also been revealed in the investigations. Mohammad Arshad Warsi was in touch with the 2020 Delhi riots accused Sharjeel Imam.
In the ISIS module case, the Delhi Police Special Cell arrested two more individuals, namely Shahnawaz, who also goes by the name Shafi Uzzama, and Mohammed Rizwan Ashraf. This development followed the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) announcement last month, offering a cash reward of Rs 3 lakh for any information leading to the capture of the primary suspect, Shahnawaz.
Shahnawaz is an engineer by profession and was wanted in the ISIS Pune module case. According to media reports, he is originally from Delhi but had moved to Pune. Two of his associates were arrested in a raid in July, while he managed to flee, returned to Delhi, and lived in a hideout.
It was Mohammad Arshad Warsi who facilitated the sheltering of Shahnavaz, a most-wanted terrorist with a reward of 3 lakh rupees on his head. Warsi was also involved in plotting terrorist attacks. Following the information revealed in the interrogation of Mohammad Arshad Warsi, the Delhi Police Special Cell managed to locate and arrest Shahnavaz.
Hailing from Jharkhand, Mohammad Arshad Warsi holds a BTech degree from Aligarh Muslim University and is presently enrolled in a PhD program at Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), where he specialises in ‘Islamic Principles in Management’. Notably, Warsi’s name has also surfaced in the Delhi Police chargesheet concerning the February 2020 anti-Hindu riots. The chargesheet indicates that Warsi was affiliated with ‘Students of Jamia (SOJ)’, a student organisation operating within JMI.
Immediately following their arrest on Monday, the police asserted that Warsi, Shahnawaz, and Ashraf had extensively consumed online information related to various forms of religious indoctrination and had strategised for potential “attacks” within India. The police report that they have confiscated bomb-making manuals, along with pistols, cartridges, basic plastic materials, and pipes from Shahnawaz’s concealed location in Delhi.
Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) H.S. Dhaliwal said, “They had conducted reconnaissance in western and southern India to conduct controlled trial explosions. They are very educated and Shahnawaz was sent PDF documents by their Pakistan-based handlers on bomb-making and how to increase the potency of the bombs.”
Mohammad Arshad Warsi had consistently posted on Facebook regarding the Supreme Court’s verdict on the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi. Terrorist Arshad revealed during questioning that he had held radical beliefs since 2016. He had been acquainted with Shahnavaz for a considerable period, and both were actively involved in plotting terrorist attacks together.
What does the 2020 riots conspiracy charge sheet say about Mohammad Arshad Warsi and Sharjeel Imam?
The chargesheet, which spans a substantial 2,700 pages and pertains to FIR 59/2020, notably allocates nearly 700 pages to detailing the chronology of the plotted conspiracy. What stands out in the chargesheet is the Delhi Police’s impressive ability to unearth the conspiracy’s timeline, tracing it all the way back to December 5, 2019, just one day after the Citizenship Amendment Bill was introduced in both houses of Parliament.
According to the chargesheet filed by the Delhi Police, after CAB was tabled in both houses of the parliament on the 4th of December, on the 5th of December a group called Muslim Students of JNU (MSJ) was formed by Sharjeel Imam who was the main member of the group and its creation was also his brainchild.
The chats that been procured by the Delhi police after a perusal of the phones confiscated from Sharjeel and other accused, it was revealed that Sharjeel Imam and Arshad Warsi (a student of Jamia) were in constant touch and Sharjeel was also in touch with “radical communal group” Students of Jamia (SOJ).
On the 6th of December, pamphlets which were written by Sharjeel Imam himself were distributed in the Jama Masjid area by the MSJ group. This fact was revealed by the chats recovered between Sharjeel Imam and Mohammad Arshad Warsi. The pamphlets were communal in nature and essentially aimed to incite hate in the Muslim community by invoking the Supreme Court decision in the Ram Janmabhoomi case.
Some of the pamphlets read “Law of Allah above all else” and “The command of Allah is above every law”. The pamphlets that were distrusted in mosques on the 6th of December also had a call to join the protest called by ‘United Against Hate’ at Jantar Mantar in large numbers and to “mobilise mob”.
The charge sheet says, “Sharjeel Imam revealed his intention of joining the protest of United Against Hate, at Jantar Mantar on 7 December 2019 in his chats to Arshad Warsi of SOJ.” The chargesheet includes screenshots of this conversation, revealing that Imam had reached out to Mohammad Arshad Warsi for the purpose of “mass mobilisation” in connection with the Delhi riots. Details of the same can be read here.
The Sikkim Government on Wednesday confirmed that 14 people have died so far in the flash floods that occurred in Sikkim in the early hours of Wednesday. The 14 deceased are all civilians while 102 people are still missing.
Over 3,000 tourists are feared to be stranded in different parts of the State. 12-14 workers working in the Teesta Stage 3 dam in Chungthang are still stranded in the tunnels of the dam.
Injuries and persons missing have been reported from Chungthang in Mangan district, and Dikchu, Singtam in Gangtok district and Rangpo in Pakyong district.
As per the information shared by the Sikkim Chief Secretary VB Pathak, he informed, “The Lhonak lake received a cloud burst around 10:42 pm on Tuesday night. Thereafter the lake breached its embankment and made its course towards Teesta river. Soon different parts of the Teesta basin reported a rise in water, with particularly alarming levels in Chungthang where the Teesta Stage 3 dam was breached.”
“There are 12-14 workers still stranded in the tunnels of the dam. Collectively across the State, 26 people have been reportedly injured and rushed to the hospitals. While 23 Army personnel in Bardang are still missing. They had a convoy vehicle which was parked adjacent to the highway which got submerged in the sludge,” added Pathak.
The State government has asked for three (3) extra platoons of the National Disaster Response Force, which the Central government has approved. There is one platoon of NDRF already in service in Rangpo and Singtam towns.
One such upcoming platoon of NDRF will be airlifted to Chungthang for rescue operations. It is assumed that over 3,000 domestic and foreign tourists are stranded in the State currently. Similarly, food and civil supplies will be taken to Chungthang once the weather improves for air connectivity, as per the official report.
Meanwhile, the State officials feared ration shortages in the State. Necessities from Siliguri, Bailey bridges will be laid by the Indian Army and National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), informed the State Chief Secretary.
Even the police station in Chungthang has been destroyed. Chungthang and most of North Sikkim have disrupted mobile network connection as the fibre cable lines were also being destroyed by the flash floods in Sangkalan and Toong in Mangan district, according to the official report.
The State government has set up 18 relief camps in Singtam, Rangpo, Dikchu and Adarsh Gaon which have faced most of the damages. However, due to a lack of connectivity with Chungthang, the relief camps there are being set up by the Indian Army and other paramilitaries.
South Lhonark lake, situated in North West Sikkim, witnessed a cloud burst causing incessant monsoon rainfall on Wednesday morning. The flowing flash flood made its way through River Teesta sweeping Indreni Bridge in Singtam town, some 30 kilometres from Gangtok informed Gangtok District Administration. Another connecting bridge of Balutar hamlet was also swept away around 4 am.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
With the Lok Sabha 2024 elections in sight, Gandhi’s scion and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi have put the weight of the national party, Congress, behind the demand for a nationwide caste census. For this, he has been raising the slogan ‘Jitni Aabadi Utna Haq’, particularly after the release of the Caste Census report in Bihar. However, old Parliament records show that Rajiv Gandhi had vehemently opposed this idea, and if he had been alive, he would have lambasted his son for raising this demand, according to a report in News18.
Additionally, his late father had even accused the then PM VP Singh of trying to lead the country into caste wars with the Mandal Commission report, an exclusive News18 report highlighted. The report noted that in 1990, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had advocated for a “casteless society” and urged the house not to let one man’s obstinacy lead to a “caste war” in India.
However, following the route in the last two general elections, the Congress party – being stewarded by the Gandhi family has decided to turn towards the second edition of 1990s Mandal politics, an approach which their predecessors had opposed, the media portal highlighted based on old Parliament records over this issue.
Evidently, on 6th September 1990, addressing the Lok Sabha, Rajiv Gandhi said, “If you think back, it was in 1980 that the Congress under the leadership of Indira Gandhi, had raised the slogan ‘Na jaat par, na patt par’ (not on caste or creed).”
Apparently, the VP Singh government had accused previous Congress PMs of sitting on the (Mandal) report.
News18 reported that it reviewed the Parliamentary speech where the then Leader of the Opposition (LoP), Rajiv Gandhi retorted sharply to then PM VP Singh when he was aggressively pushing the Mandal Commission report.
In the speech, Rajiv Gandhi advocated for a casteless society and asserted that nobody in the house could deny that the removal of casteism was not part of the national goal. He also charged that VP Singh’s government revolves around caste and it is causing a rift in the society. He maintained that caste politics could harm and break India.
Rajiv Gandhi said, “It is extremely sad that the thinking in this government revolves around caste…VP Singh is causing a rift in our society.” He stated that the goal of the country must be a casteless society and one must avoid steps that take the country towards a caste-ridden society. He added, “Nobody in this House will say that the removal of casteism is not part of that national goal.”
In this 1990 speech in Parliament, Rajiv Gandhi shared a similar view that PM Modi has been warning about that the issue of caste census amounts to divide the people and the country.
The then LoP, Rajiv Gandhi said, “…the manner in which you have implemented the Mandal Commission, to me, it is breaking up my country. Even at this late hour, there is time to pull the country back from this caste division.”
He emphasised that the VP Singh government was creating a “vested interest in casteism and the country is going to pay a very heavy price for this”, the News18 report added, citing old parliamentary records.
Moreover, he also asked why the government accepted caste as the sole identifier. He noted that to remove backwardness and poverty, the house has to look at the root cause of the problem and give equal opportunity.
He said, “We, the Congress, are in favour of a comprehensive action plan, an affirmative action plan for the backward communities. We need that. The problem cannot be solved by playing politics or by limited politically motivated manipulations.”
He lamented the reality is that caste counts for a tremendous amount in this country. But what is our goal? Is our goal a casteless society?
Launching a scathing attack against VP Singh for dividing the society on caste line, Rajiv Gandhi asserted, “The PM does not have the guts to stand up and say whether he believes in a casteless society or does not believe in a casteless society. It is very sad, sir.” He further requested the house not to let one man’s obstinacy lead to a caste war in India.
He said, “I would like to appeal to this House, let us not have one man’s obstinacy holding India hostage, let that man’s obstinacy not lead to children getting killed, our children, Indian children getting killed on the streets.”
Concluding his speech, Rajiv Gandhi said, “Socially and educationally backward classes need all the help they can get including reservation and the Congress will support you in that. We would like that to be targeted to the poorest and the weakest in the socially and educationally backward classes this the Congress Party has outlined in the Working Committee’s Resolution on August 30 this year.”
Delhi CM and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal suffered a meltdown on Wednesday evening after the Enforcement Directorate arrested AAP leader Sanjay Singh Azad in connection with the liquor scam.
Addressing the media following Singh’s arrest, Kejriwal said, “AAP is a staunch honest party. We all know that the path of honesty is difficult. If we will become dishonest like them then all of our problems will be resolved…More than 1,000 raids have been conducted in this liquor case and several people have been arrested but they are not able to recover even a single penny… PM Modi is involved in corruption from tip to toe. I think after independence, PM Modi is the most corrupt PM of our country…”
#WATCH | After meeting the family of AAP MP Sanjay Singh, Delhi CM & AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal says, "AAP is a staunch honest party. We all know that the path of honesty is difficult. If we will become dishonest like them then all of our problems will be… pic.twitter.com/S7fSlTwBHt
It is noteworthy to mention that in his initial days in public life, Kejriwal had not only accused Congress, DMK, NCP, and other political parties of corruption but promised to bring a change in India’s politics. However, as the 2024 general elections approach, Kejriwal has joined hands with the same parties as part of the INDI alliance, a coalition of disparate opposition parties that are not ideologically compatible but are motivated to come together in their forlorn hope to defenestrate PM Modi.
Congress leaders have been accused of corruption in a plethora of cases, including the Coalgate scam, the National Herald scam, the VVIP chopper AgustaWestland scam, and several others. Similarly, political leaders of other INDI alliance partners are mired in many cases with corruption charges. One of the members of the INDI alliance is RJD, whose chief Lalu Prasad Yadav is convicted by the highest court of the land in fodder scam.
Terming the arrest of party leader Sanjay Singh by the Enforcement Directorate as “totally illegal”, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said that it shows the “frustration” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and claimed that many more opposition leaders will be arrested till the elections.
“The arrest of Sanjay Singh is totally illegal. This shows Modiji’s frustration. They will arrest many more opposition leaders till the elections,” Kejriwal said in a post on X.
Sanjay Singh, MP, was taken into custody after a day-long interrogation by ED officials at his Delhi residence. He was later brought to the ED office.
Sanjay Singh’s party colleague and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was also arrested in the liquor policy scam case and is in jail.
Sisodia was arrested by the CBI on February 26 for his alleged role in the scam.
The central probe agency on Wednesday morning raided the residence of Sanjay Singh in connection with the now-cancelled liquor excise policy in Delhi. The development followed ED’s raid on the premises of Sanjay Singh’s close aides.
The Delhi excise policy case pertains to allegations that the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22 allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge that has been strongly refuted by the AAP.
ED has so far filed five chargesheets in the case, including against Sisodia.
(This news report is published with inputs from the ANI syndicated feed.)
Several media associations have written to the Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud seeking the court’s intervention to put an end to the alleged “repressive” use of investigating agencies “against the media” and demanding guidelines on police seizures of the electronic devices of journalists.
The letter was written by 16 press associations in the wake of a raid by Delhi police’s Special Cell into the residences of journalists, editors and writers associated with the news portal ‘Newsclick’.
“Our fear is that State actions against the media have been taken beyond measure, and should they be allowed to continue in the direction they are headed, it may be too late for corrective or remedial steps. It is, therefore, our collective view that the higher judiciary must now intervene to put an end to the increasingly repressive use of investigating agencies against the media,” the letter stated.
The associations said that as journalists and news professionals, we are always ready and willing to cooperate with any bona fide investigation.
“However, ad hoc, sweeping seizures and interrogations surely cannot be considered acceptable in any democratic country, let alone one that has begun advertising itself as the ‘mother of democracy,” it added.
The letter has been sent by media associations such as Digipub News India Foundation, Indian Women’s Press Corps, Press Club of India, Foundation of Media Professionals, National Alliance of Journalists, Network of Women in Media, Chandigarh Press Club, Delhi Union of Journalists, Kerala Union of Working Journalists, Brihanmumbai Union of Journalists, Free Speech Collective Mumbai, Mumbai Press Club, Arunachal Pradesh Union of Working Journalists, Press Association of India and Guwahati Press Club.
The letter said that October 3 raids led to the arrest of two persons under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and the seizure of mobile phones and computers without ensuring the integrity of their data–a basic protocol that is essential to due process.
“The invocation of UAPA is especially chilling. Journalism cannot be prosecuted as ‘terrorism’. Enough instances in history abound to tell us where that eventually goes,” it added.
The letter further said, “The fact is that today, a large section of journalists in India finds itself working under the threat of reprisal. And it is imperative that the judiciary confronts power with a fundamental truth–that there is a Constitution to which we are all answerable.”
It stated that there have been many instances over the past few years when assaults on the free press by the State have required judicial intervention, and we (journalists)continue to pursue such cases.
“But the developments over the past 24 hours have left us no option but to appeal to your good conscience to take cognisance and intervene before it is too late and an autocratic police State becomes the norm,” said the association to CJI.
The letter urged the judiciary to uphold the values of freedom of speech and expression enshrined in the Constitution.
The letter stated that wide powers of investigation are given to the State on the assumption of bonafide on the part of its agencies.
“Equally, a wide immunity against coercion must be read into the constitutional provisions of free speech, and methods must be devised against police overreach–especially given the repeated misuse of these powers,” it added.
It claimed that the country’s investigating agencies have been “misused” and “weaponised” against the press.
Sedition and terrorism cases have been filed against editors and reporters, and multiple, sequential and/or frivolous FIRs have been used as an instrument of harassment against journalists, they said.
The letter cited the case of Siddique Kappan who was arrested under UAPA and spent more than two years in jail before getting bail and also highlighted the death of father Stan Swamy, who died while in custody under UAPA charges.
“The tragic death of Father Stan Swamy in custody is a reminder of how indifferent the authorities seem to have become towards human life under the guise of combating ‘terrorism’,” it stated.
They urged the CJI to frame norms to discourage the seizure of journalists’ phones and laptops on a whim, as has been the case. Evolve guidelines for interrogation of journalists and for seizures from them, to ensure that these are not undertaken as fishing expeditions with no bearing on an actual offence, the association asked.
They further asked to find ways to ensure the accountability of State agencies and individual officers who are found overstepping the law or willfully misleading courts with vague and open-ended investigations against journalists for their journalistic work.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
In a comment that is bound to attract criticism from the LGBTQ and the woke community, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said that “a man is a man and a woman is a woman, and it is just common sense.” It is notable that according to the woke community, people’s biological gender does not matter, and people can adopt any gender they want, with an ever-expanding list of genders.
Rishi Sunak made the comments on 4th October (Wednesday) during his inaugural address as the party leader during the Tory conference held in a packed hall in Manchester. At the party’s annual event, he was introduced by his wife Akshata Murty, where he referred to how society should deal with transgender people. Regarding this, he told his party leaders that they shouldn’t get bullied into believing that people can be any sex they want to be.
During his address at the Conservative Party Conference, he asserted that a man is a man and a woman is a woman, and it is just common sense, adding that they will defend it. He further emphasised that parents have the right to know what their children are being taught in school about relationships and it shouldn’t be a controversial thing.
"We shouldn't get bullied" into believing that "people can be any sex they want to be"
"A man is a man, and a woman is a woman, that's just common sense," PM Rishi Sunak says
Regarding this issue, Tory leader Sunak said, “It shouldn’t be controversial for parents to know what their children are being taught in school about relationships. Patients should know when hospitals are talking about men or women. We shouldn’t get bullied into believing that people can be any sex they want to be. They can’t. A man is a man and a woman is a woman, that’s just common sense.”
Through his address, Sunak also laid out several new policies and presented himself as the man to deliver ‘difficult’ political change in the country.
Asserting that they would defend ‘common sense’, Sunak told the conference that “change is difficult, particularly for those who disagree”. He added, “Where a consensus is false, we will challenge it. Where a vested interest is placing itself above the needs of the people, we will stop it. And where common sense is under attack from an organised assault we will defend it.”
He also vowed to introduce legislation that would reduce the use of tobacco adding that there was “no safe level of smoking”.
He said, “I propose that in future, we raise the smoking age by one year every year. That means a 14-year-old today will never legally be sold a cigarette, and that they and their generation can grow up smoke-free.”
Sunak also pledged that he would discourage cross-Channel migrants from arriving in the country on small boats. The UK PM added, “I’m confident that once flights start going regularly to Rwanda, that boats will stop coming. I am confident that our approach complies with our international obligations. But know this, I will do whatever is necessary to stop the boats.”
