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Terrorism-related figures are at their lowest today: Amit Shah speaks to ANI about security issues, elections and allegations levelled by Opposition

OpIndia Staff
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Terrorism-related figures are at their lowest today: Amit Shah speaks to ANI about security issues, elections and allegations levelled by Opposition

On Monday (February 13), Union Home Minister spoke about an array of issues ranging from foreign propaganda, and domestic and cross-border terrorism to upcoming elections in State Assemblies in an interview with Smita Prakash of ANI at Agartala.

During the interview, Amit Shah said that the Popular Front of India was banned for promoting religious fanaticism in the country. He emphasised that the decision to ban the organisation was made without any consideration for vote bank politics.

“We have banned PFI successfully…PFI promoted radicalism and religious bigotry. They were in a way trying to prepare raw materials for terrorism. So many documents have been found which show that their activities were not good for the country’s unity and integrity,” he further pointed out.

Amit Shah added, “I said that there were various kinds of cases against the PFI cadre. The Congress government tried to close the cases but the court stopped it. What is there to be upset about? You should not have done it and if you do, you will have to listen…We decided to ban it, rising above the vote bank politics.”

Home Minister speaks about Hindenburg Research report controversy, BBC documentary

While speaking to ANI, the Home Minister also responded to the Opposition’s claims about collusion between the Adani Group and the Modi government, which were raised after the publication of the infamous report by Hindenburg Research.

He remarked, “The Supreme Court has taken cognisance of the matter. As a minister, if the Supreme Court is looking at the matter it is not right for me to comment. But in this, there is nothing for the BJP to hide and nothing to be afraid of.”

Amit Shah asked his political rivals to approach the courts instead of making unsubstantiated claims. He said, “Even at the time when Pegasus issue was raised, I had said go with proofs to the court…They only know how to create noise.”

He pointed out, “Those who approached the court, the court took cognisance of Pegasus and also delivered its judgment. The investigation was also done.”

While rejecting the propaganda-laden documentary by British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on PM Modi, he said, “The truth emerges despite a thousand conspiracies around it. They are after Modi since 2002. But every time, Modi Ji comes out stronger & more popular.”

Amit Shah speaks about North East development under the BJP govt

The Home Minister said that in the past, the Northeast region was notorious for blockades, strikes, bombings, and insurgency. However, the region is now benefiting from the development of transportation infrastructure such as roads, railways, and airports.

Home Minister Shah said that the North-east region in India is experiencing peace due to the government’s successful negotiations with various radical groups. Over 8,000 militants have surrendered and integrated into the mainstream.

“In a span of less than 8 years, PM Modi has visited the Northeast 51 times. Since independence, no PM has visited the region this frequently. Every 15 days one of the Cabinet ministers has to visit the region,” Amit Shah said.

He further informed, “In the last 9 years, the local languages of the Northeast have strengthened, even primary education being imparted in the regional languages. BJP govt has strengthened the identity of Northeast.”

Union Home Minister on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir

Amit Shah said it was previously communicated that Statehood would be reinstated following the elections in the Union Territory.

He added that the process of compiling a voter’s list in the Union Territory is almost finished, and it is now up to the Election Commission to decide on the scheduling of the elections.

“Since the time terrorism started in Jammu & Kashmir, the terrorism-related figures are at their lowest today. Crores of tourists and yatris are visiting J&K now. This is a huge change,” he told ANI.

The Union Home Minister added, “Since 1950, it was on our agenda to remove Article 370 from Jammu & Kashmir. Now with the manner in which development work is going on in J&K, and the way terrorists and terror attacks are decreasing, this is being proved. You can see data.”

Amit Shah talks about the menace of domestic terrorism

Union Home Minister Amit Shah informed that left-wing extremism has almost been eradicated from Bihar and Jharkhand, and the security vacuum in Chhattisgarh has been filled.

This is a significant achievement, as the total number of casualties among both locals and security personnel has fallen below 100 for the first time in two decades.

Shah has also noted that the government is closely monitoring the Khalistan issue and has had discussions with the Punjab government. There is good coordination between the different agencies involved, and Shah is confident that they will not allow it to grow.

BJP leader predicts victory in upcoming elections

Amit Shah also expressed his confidence about winning the upcoming Vidhan Sabha elections in Tripura, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.

“BJP will form the government with full majority in Karnataka. In the last 2 months, I’ve visited the state 5 times. I’ve sensed the pulse of people of the state and witnessed PM Modi’s popularity there -BJP will get a huge mandate in Karnataka,” he told ANI.

“Even the people of Mandya are now shifting from dynastic parties and accepting BJP’s politics of development. This is a good sign for Karnataka. I believe that there is no competition in the 2024 elections, the country is wholeheartedly moving forward with PM Modi,” he also added.

According to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the BJP will increase both its seats and vote share in Tripura. He has also mentioned that the Congress and Communist parties have come together, recognizing that they are unable to defeat the BJP alone. Shah is confident that the BJP will secure a full majority and form the government in Tripura by noon on counting day.

The “Chalo Paltai” slogan was introduced to transform the situation in Tripura, which the BJP has successfully accomplished. Previously, during the Left’s tenure in the state, government employees were paid under the 5th Pay Commission.

However, the BJP implemented the 7th Pay Commission without increasing the fiscal deficit. Shah has stated that the BJP has eradicated violence in Tripura and taken strict action against cross-border drug trafficking in the state.

Income Tax Dept carries out a survey at BBC office in Delhi: Here are the three things for which the UK state-sponsored media house is under fire

OpIndia Staff
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Income Tax Dept carries out a survey at BBC office in Delhi: Here are the three things for which the UK state-sponsored media house is under fire

The Income Tax Department is carrying out survey at the BBC office in Delhi, ANI reported.

BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) is the state-sponsored media of the United Kingdom. Some reports suggest the phones of the employees are seized as well.

The BBC survey was carried out at the BBC premises in view of the BBC’s deliberate non-compliance with the Transfer Pricing Rules and its vast diversion of profits. Transfer Pricing essentially ensures that the transaction between ‘related’ parties is at a price that would be comparable if the transaction was occurring between unrelated parties.

According to sources, there has been persistent non-compliance with the Transfer Pricing rules for years. The sources have informed that BBC has been served several notices by the IT department, however, they have persistently been non-compliant. They have also been allegedly diverting their profits.

The key focus of these surveys is to look into the manipulation of prices for unauthorised benefits, including tax advantages. These surveys have been undertaken due to BBC’s persistent non-compliance with the norms, making it a repeat offender.

In this case, BBC has been:

  1. Non-compliant under transfer pricing rules;
  2. Persistent and deliberately violative of transfer pricing norms; and
  3. Deliberately diverted a significant amount of the profits and have not followed the arm’s length arrangement in the case of allocation of profit

BBC has frequently come under fire for its biased reportage. You can read more about the recent problematic reportage here and here.

Jamia Violence: Delhi HC issues notice to Sharjeel Imam, Asif Iqbal Tanha, Safoora Zargar and others, says trial court’s remarks won’t affect the case

OpIndia Staff
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Jamia Violence: Delhi HC issues notice to Sharjeel Imam, Asif Iqbal Tanha, Safoora Zargar and others, says trial court’s remarks won’t affect the case

On Monday, the Delhi High court issued a notice in response to the Delhi Police’s appeal against the discharge of Sharjeel Imam, Asif Iqbal Tanha, Safoora Zargar, and eight other accused in the 2019 Jamia violence case. Several respondents received notices from Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma after they arrived in court on prior notice in some cases.

According to the reports, the High court summoned the trial court record (TCR) in digitized form. It refused the observations made by the trial court and stated that the observations would not have an impact on any further police investigations or the trial of any accused in the matter.

On February 4, as the trial court released the defendants, it issued some grave observations. The ASG, speaking on behalf of the Delhi Police, said that the remarks were flawed and would harm future investigations.

The matter was listed for further hearing on March 16. ASG Sanjay Jain contended that the trial court’s findings were flawed and harmful to further inquiry. ASG stated that there was an FIR, along with one main charge sheet and three supplemental charge sheets. According to him, the trial court discarded the third chargesheet based on incorrect legal reasoning.

“It is not a question of dissent. It is about an unlawful assembly turning into a riot. Am I to be governed by my conscious or by the Law? This is a very dangerous trend that people who were part of unlawful assembly are being discharged with such an order”, the ASG stated before the HC with regard to the trial court’s remarks (by ASJ Arul Varma that “dissent is simply an extension of the invaluable fundamental right to free speech and expression under Article 19 of the Constitution of India”.

Meanwhile, the defence attorney for Asif Iqbal Tanha said that the extra charge sheet was produced to fill in any gaps in the inquiry. She said that there are boundaries to be drawn between peaceful demonstration and dissent. The individuals listed on the second charge sheet were Jamia Milia Islamia University students, therefore their presence there was not unusual.

The urgent listing of the case was approved by the Delhi High Court on Friday. However, the petition was given an urgent listing on Monday by the division bench, which was presided over by Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma. Tushar Mehta, the Solicitor General, brought up the issue and pleaded with the bench to list it immediately.

Delhi Police, as per the reports, moved to the HC against the discharge granted to Sharjeel Imam and other accused in the Jamia Violence case. The Police stated in their petition that the Impugned Order is non-est, invalid, and against established legal precedent. “The trial court, while not considering and weighing the evidence on record, proceeded to discharge the respondents at the stage of framing of charges,” the petition stated adding that the trial court erred by making erroneous conclusions that are at odds with the evidence in the case to support its conclusion that the respondents had a cause for discharge.

“It is submitted that a bare perusal of the Impugned Order would reveal that the trial court has proceeded to make observations on the merits of the matter. It is also submitted that at the stage of discharge, the Trial ought to have only merely to sift the evidence in order to find out whether or not there is sufficient ground for proceeding against the accused,” the plea read.

“It is further submitted that while exercising its judicial mind to the facts of the case in order to determine whether a case for trial has been made out by the prosecution, the trial court ought not to enter into the pros and cons of the matter or into a weighing and balancing of evidence and probabilities which is done at the stage of the trial,” it added.

Sharjeel Imam, Asif Iqbal Tanha, Safoora Zargar, and the other eight accused in the Jamia Milia Islamia University violence case were discharged by Delhi’s Saket court on February 4. However, the court ordered that Mohd. Iliyas alias Allen is charged in the case.

‘The accused were used as scapegoats in the case’, opined the trial court which also added that the police did not have any proof against the accused. In December 2019, there was violence at Jamia and in the surrounding vicinity in Delhi. The violence erupted as the protesters clashed with the police over the CAA.

A case was registered at Jamia Nagar Police Station in connection with the violence in December 2019 with police naming 12 persons as accused in the case. Delhi police charged the accused with rioting and unlawful assembly while also booking them under IPC sections 143, 147, 148, 149, 186, 353, 332, 333, 308, 427, 435, 323, 341, 120(B) and 34.

Separatists who believe in ‘democracy’ and against ‘hate’? The Hindu ties itself up in knots trying to fan-boy on Rahul Gandhi’s Kashmir BJ Yatra

S. Sudhir Kumar
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Separatists who believe in ‘democracy’ and against ‘hate’? The Hindu ties itself up in knots trying to fan-boy on Rahul Gandhi’s Kashmir BJ Yatra

Just a couple of days back, we published a detailed article on how The Hindu’s coverage of the Bharat Jodo Yatra is a great case study of how to be more loyal than the King! The article was written with the assumption that The Hindu is done with the coverage of the BJ Yatra. However, The Hindu has shredded that assumption to pieces. Not fully content with how they praised Rahul Gandhi, they publish this opinion on Feb. 13th. 

Article by The Hindu

The word “catharsis” means “the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.” The premise of the article is that Kashmiris have embraced the BJ Yatra like never before and therefore – “In the groundswell of support for Rahul Gandhi, there is a message for Delhi”.

But what is the message for Delhi? We were told that “By walking with Mr Gandhi, Kashmiris sent out the political message that they believe in principles such as democracy, plurality, civility and a detestation for hate politics, despite the popular depiction of them as Islamists.” 

That is a glowing description of those who walked with Rahul Gandhi. Those who walked apparently believed in certain principles “despite the popular depiction of them as Islamists”. Now, why would that be the popular depiction? The author himself provides an answer for this, inadvertently, in another section of his article.

We are told that “There has been such a groundswell of support only during militants’ funerals or separatist leaders’ speeches in south Kashmir.” Whoa! Now, whoa! In his attempt to worship Rahul Gandhi, have the author and the newspaper actually ended up demonising him further? Did they just compare the crowd that joined the Bharat Jodo Yatra to the crowd that used to join the militants’ funerals or separatist leaders’ speeches? 

“Separatist leaders’ speeches” are filled with, well, separatism. Separatism is the exact opposite of “Jodo”. Why then does a crowd that wants to separate, join a yatra that claims to unify? How does the author want the reader to understand this hypocritical argument? 

Attending militants’ funerals essentially means support for terrorism. It’s not as if people just walked along with the dead bodies in these funeral processions. Anti-India slogans were raised during these funerals. Now, do you understand why the “popular depiction of them as Islamists”? If you hail separatism and mourn terrorists, why then would the world think of you as a citizen who has “detestation for hate politics”? Do the author and the paper really think that their readers are so gullible, that they can write anything and get away with it? Or is the author (and the paper) saying that the same crowd that embraced separatism has now embraced Bharat Jodo? And in that case, shouldn’t the credit go to Modi and not Rahul?!

Since the author believes so strongly that Rahul Gandhi gained massive popularity in Kashmir, he tells us that this support is because “Mr. Gandhi seems to have been a medium of catharsis for Kashmiris, who have stopped expressing themselves since 2019 in the face of many clampdowns.”

Stopped expressing themselves? Here are three reports from The Hindu itself, by the same author – on how Kashmiris’ have embraced their newfound freedom; how they are becoming prosperous; on how they are finally getting to even watch movies in theatres after 23 years (You can ignore the “dark hall” comment – Kashmiris couldn’t even go to theatres and watch movies for 23 years!). 

Article by The Hindu

Are all of these not ways of expressing themselves, of how they have embraced the new situation? Or according to the author, is the only way to express themselves by mourning terrorists and embracing separatists? 

We are told that Rahul Gandhi came to Kashmir in August 2021 and “Barely anyone remembers the statements he made that year.” Well, can you really blame the people for this? His speeches have always remained the same ever since he entered politics in 2004! However, why did the author bring this up? Because he now tells us that the speech, he gave in January 2023 as part of the BJ Yatra is different from the speech he gave in August 2021. How? “this time, his speech from the Sher-i-Kashmir Cricket Stadium was live-streamed on social media.” I was reading further to see if any stats will be provided on viewership or activity on SM platforms. Nothing is written. The author bluntly ends the statement there! The only different thing from 2021 to 2023 was that a speech was live-streamed and therefore it is an indication of being popular! 

After such a mumbling yet a glowing tribute to Rahul Gandhi, can you guess how the author ends the article? “All the political pundits will agree that Mr. Gandhi’s sudden and rare popularity in Kashmir may not necessarily translate into any upswing in votes for him if elections were to be held in the region.”

The already confused reader will now perhaps want to tear up the paper in frustration! The extreme levels of worshipping that the author exhibited in this article will even put some (p)sycophants in the Congress party also to shame. We are told that “The eyes of many women welled up with tears on seeing him.” We were also told that people men stopped their cars and came and hugged him. In fact, these points are repeated twice in the article, lest we forget! If women cried and men hugged him on a scale that was never seen before, why then wouldn’t they vote for him? After all, we were told that they strongly believe in the “principles of democracy”! 

Kerala govt, once against Adani taking over airport operations in the state capital, raises Rs 400 crore for Adani Ports under Vizhinjam agreement: Details

Gopal Tiwari
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Kerala govt, once against Adani taking over airport operations in the state capital, raises Rs 400 crore for Adani Ports under Vizhinjam agreement: Details

The Kerala state government has raised Rs 400 crores to the Adani Ports according to the Vizhinjam agreement. This decision is taken by the state’s leftist government as the construction of the breakwater at the upcoming Vinzinjam post is underway.

According to the agreement the state government was bound to give the sum to the enterprise after the latter completes 30% of the breakwater work. The company was seeking the same from the government for the past few weeks but the state government could not honor the commitment to the port builder as the government is caught in a debt trap and the financial situation is continuously worsening. Finally, Pinarayi Vijayan’s government took a loan of Rs 400 crores from the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) to abide by the agreement.

India’s one of the deepest ports will start operations of its first phase in March 2023. The project costs Rs 7525 crores out of which Rs 1635 crores was given as a grant to the Adani Ports which was the lone bidder for this port project in which the state government has put in 500 acres of land. Once completed, this port will be a station for India’s 80 percent of cargo trans-shipments.

Pinarayi Vijayan’s government had earlier opposed the Adani group

It is notable that Pinarayi Vijayan’s government had opposed the Adani Group at the time of taking over the airport operations in the state capital. The state government raising Rs 400 crores to abide by the agreement it signed with the Adani Port is thus in sharp contrast with the earlier approach of the government toward the Adani group.

It was in 2019 that the southern state witnessed a notable centre-state conflict over the issue of the privatization of the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. The Airport Authority of India’s (AAI) decision to choose a private company to manage the Thiruvananthapuram airport was immediately challenged by the KSIDC in a High Court filing. It claimed that the action was not “in the public interest” in its writ suit on March 5, 2019. As a result, auction bids were invited for the process.

Pinarayi Vijayan’s government lost in the auction for Thiruvananthapuram International Airport

On June 13, 2019, the Thiruvananthapuram airport was put up for auction. Kerala government established a special purpose entity under KSIDC (Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation) named TIAL (Trivandrum International Airport Limited) to participate in the bid and requested the right of first refusal when competitive bidding was announced. TIAL was given the edge, which meant that it would win the bid even if its quotation was less than the top offer as long as the difference was less than 10%. Kerala lost because Adani’s offer was 25% more than TIAL’s. Adani had quoted a Rs 168 per passenger fee, and KSIDC Rs 135. The lowest bidder GMR, which runs the Delhi and Hyderabad airports, quoted Rs 63.

However, handing over the port to the Adani group did not come immediately. In the meanwhile, Pinarayi Vijayan and his government left no stone unturned to showcase how the Adani group handling the airport operations is against the interests of the people of Kerala. Pinarayi Vijayan wrote a letter to the Prime Minister in this regard in 2019. In this letter, Vijayan not only voiced his disagreement but also questioned the bidding process.

In this letter, the Kerala Chief Minister wrote, “The growing public resentment would make it difficult for the state to back a private agency. The absence of a prior experience clause in the tender document was surprising. Instead, an experience in infrastructure development alone was asked for. That the Adani Group, which had no experience in airport development, had won six bids makes the entire process suspicious. Public resentment is growing against the takeover of the airport by a private company. That the same company has won the bid for six airports including Thiruvananthapuram has only intensified the anger.”

The Kerala government passed a resolution

The Kerala Assembly unanimously approved a motion on August 24, 2020, calling the Centre, in an aggressive manner, to refrain from handing over the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport to the Adani Group. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who proposed the motion, said that the Centre had disregarded the Kerala government’s repeated objections to its decision to transfer control of the airport to a private company.

At this time, Pinarayi Vijayan said, “For the last two years the state has been opposing the move. I have written twice to Prime Minister Modi. Still, it was handed over to a private entity ignoring the state’s protest. The Kerala Assembly unanimously urges the Centre to reconsider its decision. Ramesh Chennithala, the leader of the opposition in the Kerala Assembly, backed the Vijayan resolution but said the state government was surreptitiously aiding Adani Enterprises.

Pinarayi Vijayan finally takes a U-turn

On 14th October 2021, the Adani group took over the airport. The arrival of Adani didn’t appear to bother either the Chief Minister or the Opposition, who had supported the Chief Minister’s adamant approach in 2020. In the 15th Kerala Assembly, there was never even a passing mention of the takeover. It appeared as though the government was just waiting for Adani to land safely before ending their protests.

Further, when it was discovered that Cyril Amarchanddas Mangaldas, the consultant the TIAL selected for the airport proposal, had close ties to the Adani Group, the government’s elevated opposition appeared hollow. Ramesh Chennithala, the then-leader of the opposition, said that this was a plot to aid the Adani group.

The Adani group was supposed to take over the airport on 18th July 2021. It later requested to extend the timeline by three months. But on 13th July 2021, that is, days before the original timeline, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the monsoon session of the Kerala assembly which was going on at that time, MLAs of the ruling party CPM asked the chief minister, “Have you discussed the need for the center to drop its move to hand over the airport to Adani, which would go against Kerala’s interests?” The chief minister answered, “Did not discuss.”

As the Kerala state’s leftist government raises money to abide by the agreement with India’s one of biggest business houses, it becomes evident to recall how it once had its own reservations against the same business group and how it gradually went on to accommodate the corporate player first in the airport and now in the Vizinjam port with its protests against Adani group turning insignificant and the enterprise takes over the operations of the port. The Adani group has constantly come under attack by political parties like Congress and even the Left. However, wherever these parties are in power, they have worked closely with the conglomerate to further the development of their respective states. For example, while Rahul Gandhi continuously attacks the Adani group, the Congress govt in multiple states has awarded several projects to the conglomerate. Essentially, this proves that the entire rhetoric against prestige business conglomerates of India by the Congress party and other political parties is just that – rhetoric, while they have also been working closely with these business houses for the development of their states.

Property worth Rs 94 lakh of Sazia, accused in fake currency racket seized in Amroha, Uttar Pradesh

ANI
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Property worth Rs 94 lakh of Sazia, accused in fake currency racket seized in Amroha, Uttar Pradesh

The property of a man, accused of being involved in printing fake currency notes, was confiscated by Uttar Pradesh Police in the Amroha district. 

According to police, the property worth Rs 94 lakh was seized on the order of the district magistrate. The owner of the seized property, Sazia alias Sanju, was accused of printing fake currency notes as well as smuggling and money fraud through issuance fake cheques. 

“The property of the accused was confiscated on the orders of the district magistrate. It was sealed by the police,” said Santosh Kumar, the naib tehsildar. 

“A case was registered against the accused at Amroha Nagar police station. On the orders of the district magistrate, SHO of Amroha Nagar, Harishvardhan Singh, arrived along with his team and sealed the property,” he added. 

Announcements were made in the locality by police via loudspeakers and beating of drums, so that no one buys the property, said police. 

“The property owner was part of a gang involved in printing of fake currency notes and withdrawing money through fake cheques. The property was sealed and a public announcement was made in the locality so that no one buys the property. The property will remain in the possession of the state government until the case is decided,” said Rajiv Kumar, ASP Amroha.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Congress gives ‘credit’ for building Ram Temple to Modi, senior leader Rashid Alvi claims SC verdict was under pressure from Modi govt

OpIndia Staff
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Congress gives ‘credit’ for building Ram Temple to Modi, senior leader Rashid Alvi claims SC verdict was under pressure from Modi govt

Hours after former Supreme Court Judge S Abdul Nazeer was appointed as the Governor of Andhra Pradesh, Congress leader Rashid Alvi on Sunday (February 12) tried to cast aspersions on the Ayodhya verdict and the integrity of the apex court.

“Giving government jobs to retired Judges is unfortunate,” he told ANI. Rashid Alvi then cited a report, claiming that over 50% of judges are appointed by the government, in some capacity, post their retirement. “The Faith of people in Judiciary is on the decline,” he brazened it out.

The Congress leader lamented how the former Chief Justice of India, Ranjan Gogoi, was nominated to the Rajya Sabha and that Justice (retd.) S Abdul Nazeer (who was a part of the constitutional bench that delivered the Ayodhya verdict) has now been ‘incentivised’ with the job of a Governor.

“Several people had been questioning the Ram Janmabhoomi verdict, even claiming that it was delivered under the pressure of Modi govt…This move only bolsters that doubt in people’s mind,” Rashid Alvi insinuated that judges are somehow hands-in-gloves with the Union government.

Congress’ claims over the Ram Mandir issue have been bizarre and contradictory. In 2020, the party had claimed that the credit for the Ram Mandir must go to Rajiv Gandhi, then deleted the tweet. The party had also been trying very hard to assert that the Modi government had nothing to claim credit for in the whole issue. But Rashid Alvi’s recent remarks seem to allude that it was the Modi government that “influenced” the judiciary, which casts aspersions on the Congress party itself because they have held power at the centre for far longer than the BJP, and many former judges have found appointment as governors or MPs under the Congress party too.

Congress’ deleted tweet from 2020

He also said that the present-day government must strive to keep Judiciary separate from the Executive in accordance with the Article 50 of the Indian Constitution.

The Congress leader then went on to claim that the Governors in several States, including Maharashtra, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, parrot the political ideology of RSS and the BJP in the hopes of being rewarded by them.

In 2019, the Central government took the decision to assign Z plus security to Justice S Abdul Nazeer, who was also a part of the bench that criminalised Triple Talaq, after reports surfaced that he and his family were under threat from the Islamist outfit Popular Front of India (PFI).

Rashid Alvi demands evidence of the surgical strike

Rashid Alvi has been the controversy’s favourite child. Last month, he stirred the hornet’s nest by sowing seeds of doubt about the surgical strike conducted by Indian armed forces against Pakistan.

While speaking to ANI, he remarked, “We’ve confidence in our security forces but can’t trust BJP govt. Govt says it has a video (of the surgical strike) so what’s wrong with Digvijaya Singh asking govt to show it? We’re not asking for proof (of strike) but govt should show the video it claims it has…”

Nothing for BJP to hide or be afraid of, says Amit Shah on Adani-Hindenburg controversy

ANI
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Nothing for BJP to hide or be afraid of, says Amit Shah on Adani-Hindenburg controversy

With the opposition targeting the BJP-led government over the Hindenburg-Adani row, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that it will not be appropriate for him to comment as the Supreme Court has taken cognizance of the matter but there is nothing “for the BJP to hide or be afraid of”. 

“The Supreme Court has taken cognizance of the matter. As a minister, if the Supreme Court is seized of the matter it is not right for me to comment. But in this, there is nothing for the BJP to hide and nothing to be afraid of,” Shah said in an exclusive interview with ANI. The Hindenburg-Adani row has turned into a major political controversy with the Congress and other opposition parties making allegations of favouritism and crony capitalism against the government. They raised the issue during the budget session of parliament demanding a joint parliamentary committee probe. 

The opposition parties have also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue. 

They have sought questions over the investment of LIC and some public sector banks in the Adani group. The government has rejected the allegations with PSUs and regulatory bodies also issuing statements about their following the norms and acting to their mandates. 

The Centre on Monday informed the Supreme Court that SEBI had agreed to constitute a committee to protect investor interests following Hindenburg’s report on Adani Group. 

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed a bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud that SEBI is completely equipped to deal with the situation that took place due to a recent report by Hindenburg Research. 

Mehta also said that the government has no objection to appointing a committee to suggest how to ensure investors are protected in the future. However, he said that remit of the committee is important since it has an effect internationally and that the government will provide names in a sealed cover. 

Asked about Rahul Gandhi’s recent speech in Lok Sabha, which was almost entirely concerned the Adani group, Shah said it is for the Congress leader or his script writers to decide what speech he wants to give. 

“What speech he wants to give is for him or his speech writers to think,” he said. 

Reacting to Rahul Gandhi’s “crony capitalism” allegation against BJP, Shah said. “There is no question. Nobody has been able to level such allegation against the BJP till date. During their (Congress) era, agencies be it CAG or CBI, they had registered cases taking cognizance of corruption. There were scams of Rs 12 lakh crore.” 

Asked about allegations of Congress and other opposition parties of BJP “capturing institutions”, Shah said they should go to the court noting that courts are not under influence of BJP. 

“Court ‘humare kabze mein nahi hai,” he said. 

“Why don’t they go to the court? Even at the time when Pegasus issue was raised, I had said go with proofs to the court…They only know how to create noise. Those who approached the court, the court took cognizance of Pegasus and also delivered its judgement. The investigation was also done,” he added. 

Asked about BJP spokespersons indicating that there is such “conspiracy” ahead of elections, he said it is for them to reply. 
“Thousands of conspiracies cannot harm the truth. Truth shines bright like the sun. They have been doing it since 2002 against PM Narendra Modi. And every time, he has emerged stronger, truthfully and by gaining more popularity among people every time,” he said when asked if there is a conspiracy in the wake of Hindenburg report and BBC documentary. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speech at the Lok Sabha in reply to the debate on the motion of thanks on the President’s address had lashed out at the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre, saying that it converted “every opportunity into a crisis” during its 10 years at the helm between 2004 and 2014. PM Modi said UPA’s term at the helm between 2004 and 2014 was “full of scams”.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Renaming cities associated with Mughals is ‘well-thought decision’, says Amit Shah, calls it establishing tradition

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Renaming cities associated with Mughals is ‘well-thought decision’, says Amit Shah, calls it establishing tradition

Reacting sharply to allegations of erasing history of Mughals and changing the names of the cities associated with them, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that the BJP state governments have taken “well-thought decisions” which are within their statutory rights. 

Shah, however, said that the BJP does not want to remove anybody’s contribution to history. The Home Minister’s remarks came in response to allegations that the BJP is attempting to rewrite the country’s history in which the BJP-ruled states have renamed or are planning to rename cities whose names are associated with Mughal history. 

“The contribution of no one should be removed, neither do we want to remove them. But if someone wants to establish the tradition of the country then no one should have any objection,” he said in an exclusive interview with ANI. 

“We have not changed the name of even a single city which previously did not have an old name. Our governments have taken well-thought out decisions. Every government has its statutory rights,” Shah added. 

Notably, Bharatiya Janata Party MP Sangam Lal Gupta recently urged Amit Shah to change the name of Uttar Pradesh’s capital city of Lucknow to “Lakhanpur or Laxmanpur”. 

Stating that the city was earlier named as Lakhanpur and Laxmanpur in the Treta Yug, the BJP MP claimed that Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula had renamed it Lucknow. 

Shah, when asked about the allegations of writing a “re-imagined history” of Jammu and Kashmir, and erasing former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s contributions, said that Article 370 was included in the Constitution by the government of the first prime minister of the country and this had caused great loss to India. 

“Article 370 was implemented because of Nehru ji. Since 1950 it had been on our agenda that it should not have been implemented. It caused a great loss to the country. Now with the manner in which development work is going on in Jammu and Kashmir, the way terrorists and terror attacks are decreasing this is being proved. You can see data. There are many changes which are happening in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said. 

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

BJP will cross majority mark before noon, says Amit Shah on Tripura elections

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BJP will cross majority mark before noon, says Amit Shah on Tripura elections

Expressing confidence of BJP getting full majority in the Tripura assembly elections, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that the BJP is seeking a mandate to make the state prosperous in the next five years building on the development initiatives of the party-led government. Responding to questions about a possible hung assembly in Tripura, Amit Shah said that the constituencies in Tripura are small and “you will see that before 12PM on counting day, the BJP would have crossed the majority mark.” 

In an exclusive interview with ANI, he also said that BJP’s ‘ChaloPaltai’ slogan in the last election was not a slogan to come to power in the state but to change the situation in Tripura. The BJP created a record in 2018 by ousting the Left Front government which ruled Tripura for 35 years from 1978. The state will go to the polls on February 16 for its 60-member assembly. 

The BJP is contesting 55 seats while its ally Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) is contesting the remaining five seats. 
Shah said Congress and CPI-M joining hands shows that they are not in a position to defeat BJP on their own and “it is very good position” for the party. 

“We will increase our seats and also our vote share in Tripura. Congress and the Communist party have come together as they have accepted that they can’t defeat BJP alone. We will form government with full majority in the state,” Shah said.

“‘ChaloPaltai’ slogan was given to change the situation in Tripura, and we’ve done that. Earlier when the Left was in power in Tripura, government employees were paid under Pay Commission, but we implemented the 7th Pay commission in the state without increasing fiscal deficit. We eliminated violence in Tripura and also took strict action against drugs business from across the border in the state,” he added. 

Shah also outlined the “effective steps” of the state government to end violence in the border state and tackle the drug menace and added that these have sent a good message among people. 

“There is no violence in Tripura. Time has come to make Tripura prosperous. The double-engine government has taken several steps to fulfil its promises,” he said. 

Asked about Manik Saha replacing Biplab Deb as Tripura Chief Minister in May last year and if it sent a signal of the BJP’s central leadership controlling the state unit, Shah said that Deb is an MP and has several key organisational responsibilities in the central BJP. 

He said changes are sometimes made if the national parties need leaders at the central level. 

“I feel this is promotion, it should not be looked at from any other angle,” he said. 

Home Minister said that the BJP-led government has taken steps to strengthen local languages in the northeastern states and added that there is no big official programme in Delhi without participation of artists from the northeast. 

He said under PM Modi’s leadership, several steps have been taken for the welfare of people in the northeast. 

“There is peace in the Northeast today, there has been peace agreement with several militant organisations.” 

He referred to the agreement to end the Bru-Reang refugee crisis in Tripura and with National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT). 
Shah said PM Modi’s initiatives have helped the tribal population. 

“The tribal communities are experiencing development now. Today, we have the first tribal President in the country. The benefits being given to poor families are also being extended to the tribal community without any discrimination. They realize that they were misled earlier” 

Shah said before the year 2024, all state capitals in the Northeast region will get rail and air connectivity and this is not a small achievement. 

“Nearly over 8,000 cadres of militant outfits have surrendered arms and joined the mainstream. The northeast was known for blockade, protests, bomb explosions and insurgency. Today roads are being built there, airports are being built. Where there was one airport in a state like Tripura, we are building a second here. The Prime Minister has undertaken various developmental projects for the northeast region,” he said. 

On Karnataka, Shah said the party will come back to power with full majority. 

“The BJP will form its government in Karnataka with a full majority. I have seen the pulse of the people and the popularity of PM Modi. The BJP will get a huge mandate,” he said. 

Answering another query on some major states going to the polls this year, he said BJP is strong in Rajasthan, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh and will win all four. 

“We repeated our governments in Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. We will repeat our government in Tripura also,” he said answering a query. 

Asked about JD(S) accusing BJP of dynastic politics, he said there are people who are second or third-generation politicians in the BJP also but it is not that the party chief will be from such a family only, or the entire family will become an MP or an MLA. “What kind of comparison is this? You have finished the entire democratic system,” he said. 

“Even the people of Mandya are now shifting from dynastic parties and accepting BJP’s politics of development. This is a good sign for Karnataka,” he said. 

Shah, who visited Puttur in Karnataka and inaugurated ‘Bharat Mata Mandir’, said he welcomes any allegation made against him regarding the visit in the poll-bound state. When asked if the BJP has begun a campaign of nationalism in the state, Amit Shah said he welcomed such allegations. 

“I accept and welcome all the allegations if they are levelled against me for going to the Bharat Mata Mandir,” he said. 
He said the place has pictures of Tantya Tope, Savarkar and also Param Vir Chakra recipient Lance Naik Albert Ekka. “I thank the trust which made it.” 

Karnataka is expected to go for polls in the first half of this year. 

Polling for the Meghalaya and Nagaland Assembly polls will be held on February 27. The counting of votes in the two states along with Tripura will take place on March 2.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

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