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150 Indian nationals feared ‘kidnapped’ by Taliban in Kabul evacuated and return safely to India

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150 Indian nationals feared ‘kidnapped’ by Taliban in Kabul evacuated and return safely to India

A day after it was reported that around 150 Indians were allegedly kidnapped by the Taliban from outside the Hamid Karzai International airport in Kabul, the stranded individuals were successfully rescued by the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Sunday (August 22).

The development was confirmed on Twitter by News18 journalist Aditya Raj Kaul. In a tweet, he informed that an IAF C-17 aircraft, carrying 150 Indian nationals and 23 Afghan Sikhs and Hindus, took off from Kabul at 5:30 am in morning. “Good news. Over 150 Indian nationals & 23 Afghan Sikhs/Hindus have taken off from Kabul at 5:30 am in an Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft & will be landing in India soon. This is the same group which was yesterday stopped and harassed by a Taliban group aircraft,” he said.

Here are the visuals of the IAF aircraft landing at Hindon Air Base.

Rishikesh Kumar of Sputnik reported yesterday that those abducted included a number of Afghan Sikhs and citizens but most of them were ordinary Indians. The people, including women and children, had reached the airport at 1 AM but could not enter. Kumar reported that soon after, Talibs came and thrashed some of them and took them all to Tarkhil, Kabul. Some managed to escape from the moving car, reported Kumar. According to those who had escaped, the Talibs told them that they were being taken inside the airport through another gate but it is not clear if they were indeed taken in or transferred to another location.

Two Afghan MPs, Narender Singh Khalsa and Dr Anarkali Kaur Honaryar amongst the 23 Sikhs rescued from Kabul

More than 20 Afghan Sikhs, including Afghanistan Member of Parliament Narender Singh Khalsa, were rescued from the Taliban in Kabul by the Indian Air Force on Saturday (August 21). Along with him, Dr Anarkali Kaur Honaryar, first Sikh woman MP of Afghanistan, was also rescued.

According to the reports, the Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft took off from Kabul with another 168 people, including 107 Indians and some 20 Afghan Sikhs and Hindus for Hindon IAF base in Ghaziabad.

Afghanistan lawmaker Narender Singh Khalsa is among the 23 Afghan Sikhs who were rescued by the Indian government on Saturday. Speaking to the media, Afghan MP Narender Singh Khalsa thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Indian Government, and the Indian Air Force for rescuing him and the Afghan Sikh minority community from the Taliban.

Other than the previous evacuation missions, three flights with as many as 390 Indians, Afghans and other nationals will land in India this morning. 168 people are evacuated from Kabul, 135 from Doha (brought by NATO forces from Afghanistan) and 87 from Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan.

Talibanis set an Afghan woman on fire for ‘bad cooking’, alleges activist

OpIndia Staff
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Talibanis set an Afghan woman on fire for ‘bad cooking’, alleges activist

An Afghan woman was reportedly set on fire by Talibanis for “bad cooking”, and many others are being forced into sex slavery.

Speaking to Sky News, Najla Ayoubi, a former Afghan judge and activist, revealed that the Talibanis set ablaze a woman because they were not satisfied with a meal she prepared.

Sharing the horrific details of her experience in the capital, Ayoubi said she had to “flee” for her life after promoting women’s rights.

“They are forcing people to give them food and cook them food,” said Ayoubi, adding, “A woman was put on fire because she was accused of bad cooking for Taliban fighters.”

The former judge said she was forced to escape Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the country. She said that ever since the Taliban took over the country, she has received multiple reports of violence against women.

“There are so many young women in the past few weeks being shipped into neighbouring countries in coffins to be used as sex slaves. They also force families to marry their young daughters to Taliban fighters. I don‘t see where is the promise that they think women should be going to work when we see all of these atrocities,” she told Sky News.

Ayoubi added that many rights activists in Afghanistan are “in hiding”, fearing retaliation from the Taliban.

Door-to-door hunt for girls as young as 12, Taliban looking for sex slaves

Earlier, there were reports that the Taliban gangs are targeting children as young as 12 during their hunt for sex slaves since they took over Afghanistan. Women and girls are among the most at-risk Afghanis under the new Islamist regime after the Jihadist organisation launched a door-to-door search for sex slaves.

From demanding lists of women and girls in different regions to forcing marriages on young girls, reports of the Taliban’s atrocities are making headlines. The unmarried and widowed women and girls between the ages of 12 to 45 are termed as “qhanimat” or spoils of the war by the Taliban. They are reportedly being divided among the members of the group.

According to Shukria Barakzai, Afghan politician and journalist, the stories of the Taliban’s atrocities against women and girls are horrifying. She wrote in The Daily Mail, “The gouging of a woman’s eyes in front of her terrified family; girls as young as 12 wrenched from the arms of their weeping mothers to become sex slaves for Taliban ‘warriors’; men punished or even killed for ‘offences’ as simple as listening to the ‘wrong’ music, or for daring to be ‘educated’.”

She further said that in some villages, Taliban members conducted door-to-door searches looking for young girls to forcibly marrying them and pushing them into a life of sex slaves. She added, “So determined are they that no virgin will escape their clutches that they check drawers, wardrobes and even suitcases in homes where desperate mothers deny they have young daughters to ensure they are telling the truth.”

Afghanistan: 6 out of 9 Talibanis who surrendered before the resistance forces were Pakistanis

OpIndia Staff
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Afghanistan: 6 out of 9 Talibanis who surrendered before the resistance forces were Pakistanis

Two days after it was reported that the resistance forces in Afghanistan had liberated Pol-e-Hasar, Deh Salah, and Banu districts in the Baghlan Province from Taliban control, it has now come to light that several members of the radical Islamist outfit hailed from Pakistan.

The development was shared on Twitter by Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) commando Wazir Akbar Mohmand. He informed that 9 Taliban extremists surrendered before the resistance forces after they re-captured the Andarb district. “9 taliban terrorists surrendered to the Resistance in Andarab district. 6 of them were nationals from Pakistan,” Mohmand added.

On August 6, about 112 Talibs were neutralised and 31 injured in multiple airstrikes conducted by the Afghan Air Force in Lashkargah city in Helmand provincial centre of Afghanistan. The Afghan Defense Ministry stated that out of the 112 slain Talibs, there were 30 Pakistanis affiliated with Islamist terror outfit Al-Qaeda.

Accusations by the Afghan government

The Afghan government has repeatedly accused Pakistan of sheltering terrorists and supporting the Taliban’s terror attack on the Afghan forces. Ambassador Ghulam Isaczai informed that Afghanistan is willing to provide evidence before the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) that will expose Pakistan’s supplies and logistical support to the Islamist outfit. He stated that the injured Talibs were being taken to Pakistan for medical treatment. The Afghanistan envoy said that there were videos which showed how injured Taliban terrorists were treated in Pakistan and buried once they died.

In July, Afghanistan’s first Vice-President had tweeted, “Breaking: Pakistan air force has issued official warning to the Afghan Army and Air Force that any move to dislodge the Taliban from Spin Boldak area will be faced and repelled by the Pakistan Air Force. Pak air force is now providing close air support to Taliban in certain areas.”

Screengrab of the tweet

During the launch of the ‘Single National Curriculum’ in Islamabad earlier this month, Pakistan PM Imran Khan backed the Taliban’s actions by claiming that the Afghan population had broken the ‘chains of slavery’. He had also remarked that ‘cultural imposition’ (by the United States) was tantamount to ‘mental slavery.’ In July this year, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan had described the Taliban as ‘normal civilians’ and conceded that it was not possible for the government to hunt them down.

‘Mera shav bhi BJP ke jhande mein lipat ke jaaye’ – Kalyan Singh wished to be wrapped in BJP flag on his final journey

OpIndia Staff
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‘Mera shav bhi BJP ke jhande mein lipat ke jaaye’ – Kalyan Singh wished to be wrapped in BJP flag on his final journey

Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh passed away at the age of 89 at SGPGI, Lucknow, on August 21. Known as one of the main architects of the Ram Mandir movement, Kalyan Singh once expressed his desire to be wrapped in the BJP flag on his final journey after death. While addressing the public in an event, he had said, “The values of Sangh and Bharatiya Janata Party are in every drop of my blood. I wish to be in BJP for the rest of my life, and when my life ends, I wish my body should be wrapped in the flag of BJP.”

He repeated his wish in an interview with senior journalist Rajat Sharma in his program Aap Ki Adalat. He had said, “I am part of Sangh, and I am proud of it. I have learned Principal based politics. I want to put an end to the question from your platform, when I will be on my last journey, I will be wrapped in BJP’s flag.”

Fondly called by the name Babu Ji, late Kalyan Singh spent his entire life strengthening BJP at the grass-root level. He is considered one of the main architects of the Ram Mandir movement. When he was Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in 1992, he refused to open fire at Karsewaks, who demolished the disputed structure often referred to as ‘Babri Masjid’ in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992. As he refused to follow the order of the Central Government under Congress, the UP government was dismissed the next day.

Afghan MP Narender Singh Khalsa amongst the 23 Sikhs rescued from Kabul, thanks PM Modi for swift evacuation

OpIndia Staff
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Afghan MP Narender Singh Khalsa amongst the 23 Sikhs rescued from Kabul, thanks PM Modi for swift evacuation

More than 20 Afghan Sikhs, including Afghanistan Member of Parliament Narender Singh Khalsa, were rescued from the Taliban in Kabul by the Indian Air Force on Saturday.

According to the reports, the Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft that took off from Kabul with another 168 people, including 107 Indians and some 20 Afghan Sikhs and Hindus for Hindon IAF base in Ghaziabad. Afghanistan lawmaker Narender Singh Khalsa is among the 23 Afghan Sikhs who were rescued by the Indian government on Saturday.

Speaking to the media, Afghan MP Narender Singh Khalsa thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Indian Government and the Indian Air Force for rescuing him and the Afghan Sikh minority community from the Taliban.

His father, Avtar Singh, was killed in a 2018 terror attack in Jalalabad. He was running for the elections in October that year. The Islamic State had taken responsibility for the same.

This group is the same group that was stopped and harassed by Taliban on Saturday.

Arindam Bagchi, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson, had earlier tweeted that two Nepalese citizens are also coming to India on board the Air India flight from Kabul with assistance and support of the Indian embassy.

Besides Indian Air Force, a special Air India flight carrying 87 Indians from Afghanistan’s Kabul also left for Delhi early on Sunday. The Indians were taken to Tajikistan’s capital of Dushanbe from Kabul on board a transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Saturday. 

Watch: Pakistan’s Jamia Hafsa organises event to celebrate Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, calls them ‘Khanjar hai Kafiro pe’

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: Pakistan’s Jamia Hafsa organises event to celebrate Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, calls them ‘Khanjar hai Kafiro pe’

On August 21, a video of students in Jamia Hafsa, a seminary linked to Lal Masjid in Pakistan’s Islamabad, went viral in which they were seen singing praising of Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. According to a report published in Dawn, earlier, they hoisted Taliban flags on its rooftop.

The video was shared on Twitter by Roohan Ahmed, a journalist based in Pakistan.

He said, “Lal Masjid-linked Jamia Hafsa in Islamabad organised an event to celebrate Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.” He further said, “The students of Jamia Hafsa, a seminary linked with Islamabad’s Lal Masjid, are singing a song ‘Salam Taliban’ in an event celebrating the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.”

In the video, one can see the girls, wearing burqas and headscarves with Taliban flag in the background. The girls are singing ‘Salam Taliban’. “You are the symbol of ‘Din’, hail Afghan Taliban. You are the backbone of ‘Din’, hail Afghan Taliban, you are the storm, hail Afghan Taliban. Look at them, they have taken over, the symbol of ‘Din'”. Din is an Arabic word which means judgement, custom and religion.

The girls then sing how the Taliban in Afghanistan is like swords on ‘kafirs’ (non-believers of Islam) and how Taliban will ensure the law of Allah is implemented on people. “If you live as per Shariyat, you would survive, you will live if you submit to Allah,” the young girls sing.

Several reports of Pakistanis celebration takeover of Afghanistan

On Saturday, it was reported that the Taliban flag was seen on top of Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) to celebrate the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. Pakistani Daily Dawn quoted an officer of the capital administration saying that 4-5 flags were hoisted on the top of Jamia Hafsa. They claimed, “The flags were spotted after Zuhr prayers, and shortly the capital administration and police were informed about it.”

After the issue was brought to the notice of the Police, the senior officers issued orders to act according to the law. The officers went to the seminary and got the flags removed. The seminary officials refused to have any involvement in hoisting the flag and blamed students for the same. Reportedly, some senior officials of the Islamabad administration believe that hoisting any flag is not a crime, but some flags may spread unrest in the area.

Muhammad Hamza Shafqat, deputy commissioner of Islamabad, quoted a tweet pointing out hoisting of Taliban flags on Red Mosque and said, “Was removed there and then.”

Celebrations in Pakistan receive criticism

Such repeated incidents are facing severe criticism on social media platforms, especially from the Afghans. Habib Khan, journalist and activist from Afghanistan, said, “Let Pakistanis celebrate the invasion of Afghanistan, for now. Eventually, Afghans will liberate their land and expel them like the rest of the invaders. Remember, Pakistan will break into pieces.”

Aqil Shah, Associate Professor, David L. Boren College of International Studies at OU, said, “The Pakistani deep state can deny its support of the Taliban, but actions speak louder than words. This is a police report (in Urdu) of the arrest of nine Afghans for waving their country’s flag in Peshawar. Meanwhile, the Red Mosque in ISB raised Taliban flags without consequence.”

In July, videos emerged on social media platforms in which Pakistanis were seen holding Talibani flags and raising slogans in favour of the Jihadi group even before the Taliban took over Afghanistan.

‘Saddened beyond words’: PM Modi offers condolences after Kalyan Singh passes away, remembers contribution towards ‘cultural regeneration’

OpIndia Staff
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‘Saddened beyond words’: PM Modi offers condolences after Kalyan Singh passes away, remembers contribution towards ‘cultural regeneration’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has offered his condolences after former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh passed away on Saturday. Narendra Modi said that he spoke the BJP stalwart’s son and expressed his condolences.

The Prime Minister said, “Kalyan Singh Ji gave voice to crores of people belonging to the marginalised sections of society. He made numerous efforts towards the empowerment of farmers, youngsters and women.” He added, “Generations to come will remain forever grateful to Kalyan Singh Ji for his contributions towards India’s cultural regeneration. He was firmly rooted in Indian values and took pride in our centuries old traditions.”

Home Minister Amit Shah, too, shared his condolences and recalled his contribution towards the development of the state of Uttar Pradesh.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath prayed to Shri Ram to grant Kalyan Singh a place at His feet.

Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh breathed his last on Saturday after being critical following a minor heart attack. He was 89 at the time of his death. He passed away following a multi organ failure.

Amidst escalating chaos outside Kabul airport, US and Chinese embassies ask their citizens in Afghanistan to avoid travelling to the place

OpIndia Staff
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Amidst escalating chaos outside Kabul airport, US and Chinese embassies ask their citizens in Afghanistan to avoid travelling to the place

Chaos and disorder have been the prevailing state of affairs at Kabul airport since the Taliban formally took over Afghanistan on Sunday this week. Since then, a raft of people has flocked to the airport fearing persecution from the Talibani regime and in a desperate bid to fly out of the country.

Thousands of people were seen queuing up outside the Kabul International Airport, hoping to get inside and catch a flight right out of the country. However, a report published in Sky News says the condition exacerbated this morning as people standing in the front of the queue found themselves crushed as mayhem swept over the place.

The foreign soldiers had little time, to process and help the victims as the huge crowd of people jostled and pushed to get inside the airport. Scores of people reportedly died in the stampede that ensued outside the airport premises, the report said, as officials were seen covering the dead with white sheets.

US and Chinese embassy in Afghanistan urge their nationals to refrain from travelling to Kabul airport

With chaos engulfing Kabul airport and much of Afghanistan, the United States embassy in Afghanistan, which is operating from the military side of the airport, urged American citizens to avoid travelling to the airport citing “potential security threat”.

“Because of potential security threats outside the gates at the Kabul airport, we are advising U.S. citizens to avoid travelling to the airport and to avoid airport gates at this time unless you receive individual instructions from a U.S. government representative to do so”, the embassy said in its latest security alert issued today.

“U.S. citizens requesting assistance in departing the country who have not yet to completed the Repatriation Assistance Request for each traveller in their group should do so as soon as possible. Spouses and minor children of U.S. citizens in Afghanistan who are awaiting immigrant visas should also complete this form if they wish to depart,” the embassy said in the alert. The statement also asked people not to call the embassy, and added that filling the form is the only way to contact them.

Similarly, the Chinese embassy in Kabul also asked Chinese nationals to stay away from Kabul airport and other sites that are prone to violent flare-ups. In fact, the Chinese embassy went a step ahead and even asked its citizens to strictly abide by Islamic customs, including the code of dressing and dining in public.

Taliban takes over Afghanistan

After a month-long offensive against the Afghan army, the Islamist outfit Taliban finally reached the gates of Kabul on Sunday (August 15). They entered Afghanistan’s presidential palace hours after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.

Since then surreal scenes have emerged as people try to flee the country to save their lives. Visuals of Afghan people falling from the sky as they tried to escape while hanging on to the wheels of the aeroplanes have gone viral on social media. The Taliban terrorists have been seen enjoying themselves as the amusement park as well in other surreal scenes.

While the Taliban has promised to preserve women’s rights and grant amnesty to everyone who had run afoul with the terror outfit, the situation on the ground tells a different story. There have been reports emerging from Kabul and other parts of Afghanistan that say the Taliban terrorists have been hunting down their adversaries and exacting revenge from those whom they perceive to have helped the United States and NATO forces. This has added to the panic among the people, who are now either going underground or rushing towards the airport to escape the country.

Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh dies at the age of 89, was a chief architect of Ram Mandir success

OpIndia Staff
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Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh dies at the age of 89, was a chief architect of Ram Mandir success

Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh breathed his last on Saturday after being critical following a minor heart attack. He was 89 at the time of his death. He passed away following a multi organ failure.

The 89-year-old politician, who had earlier served as Rajasthan governor, had developed an inflammation in the parotid gland and was also diagnosed with irregularities in his kidney function.

Kalyan Singh, one of the foremost icons of the Hindutva movement

Kalyan Singh has earned immense respect for his conduct during the Ram Janmabhoomi Movement. At no point in time has he expressed any regret over what happened on that fateful day. He did not open fire at the Kar Sevaks and he sacrificed his position as the Chief Minister for it. For that, he remains one of the icons of the Hindutva Movement.

Days leading to December 6, 1992, thousands of karsevaks, harbouring the dream of getting the Ram Janmabhoomi back flocked to Ayodhya and protested against the disputed structure that symbolised centuries of Muslim tyranny and oppression. On December 6, 1992, a raft of restive karsevaks stormed the premises of the disputed structure, scaled its heights and razed to ground the buildings that were claimed by Hindus as illegal construction over the hallowed Ram Janmabhoomi.

Singh was the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, under whose leadership, the controversial structure in Ayodhya was levelled to the ground. In the aftermath of the demolition, Singh’s government was sacked and President’s rule was imposed in Uttar Pradesh. Years later, in a freewheeling interview with an NDTV journalist, who’d rather have the karsevaks die to save the ‘secular’ fabric of the country, Singh said he had no regrets, repentance or contrition for what transpired in Ayodhya on that fateful day.

“I am not sorry for the demolition of the structure. Nor do I feel any contrition for it. No regrets, no repentance, no sorrow, no grief. Following the demolition of the controversial structure, many regard the event as a matter of national shame but I say that it is a matter of national pride,” Singh added.

Wish to see Ram Temple before death and take rebirth in the temple town once again: Kalyan Singh

More recently, Singh in his interview that took place last year, claimed that he was proud of his decision to not allow the police to open fire on karsevaks in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992. Singh added that it was the demolition of the disputed structure that paved the way for the Ram Temple bhoomi pujan scheduled on August 5, 2020. Singh further said that he wished to see Ram Mandir come up in Ayodhya before his death and take rebirth in the temple town once again.

BJP questions if AAP has committed scams after Arvind Kejriwal endorses claims that 15 of its members are under ED and CBI scanner

OpIndia Staff
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BJP questions if AAP has committed scams after Arvind Kejriwal endorses claims that 15 of its members are under ED and CBI scanner

BJP spokesperson Shazia Ilmi has taken to Twitter to question AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on the scams committed by his party after the latter endorsed the allegations made by his aide and Delhi’s Deputy CM about central agencies been given a list of 15 names by PM Modi to file ‘fake’ cases against them.

Taking a sarcastic jibe at the Arvind Kejriwal govt, which like other opposition parties had also made misleading assertions that the government of India is using spyware Pegasus to snoop on journalists, Indian ministers, Supreme Court judges, opposition leaders and other notable personalities, the BJP leader asked him as to which spyware has his party used to unravel the classified information that the central government is set to target 15 AAP members.

“Has your party actually committed scams? which are those scams that you are wanting to hide by creating an anticipatory environment like this one?”, questioned Ilmi.

In the 1:15 minute video uploaded on Twitter Shazia Ilmi further questions Kejriwal’s stoic silence over the 2018 infamous chief secretary assault case in which the police had booked Kejriwal and his 12 other aides including Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia, MLAs Amanatullah Khan, Prakash Jarwal, Nitin Tyagi, Rituraj Govind, Sanjeev Jha, Ajay Dutt, Rajesh Rishi, Rajesh Gupta, Madan Lal, Parveen Kumar and Dinesh Mohania.

For the uninitiated, the Delhi Chief Secretary in February 2018 had alleged that he was beaten up by AAP MLAs in the presence of Kejriwal at the Chief Minister’s residence where he was questioned over the delay in publishing TV advertisements in a late-night meeting he had been called for.

Here she again urges Kejriwal, who she says is an expert in shoot and scoot tactics, levelling false accusations at others and over-dramatising issues, to plead guilty to the offences and scams committed by him and his party members. “Are you scared of owning up?” questions Ilmi taking a sarcastic jibe at Kejriwal.

Shazia Ilmi’s video message was in response to Arvind Kejriwal’s Tweet where he seconded Sisodia’s alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shared the names of 15 people with Delhi Police, CBI and ED and asked them to “conduct raids and file fake FIRs” against those on the list. 

Delhi’s Deputy CM had while addressing a virtual press conference here on Saturday, August 21, manufactured a bizarre allegation by citing some ‘sources’.

“We have learnt from reliable sources that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has handed over a list of 15 people to the CBI, the ED and the Delhi Police asking them to conduct raids and file fake FIRs against them (people on the list) in order to ruin them before the next elections,” Sisodia alleged.

Sisodia also claimed that Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana has promised to get the job done.

“Rakesh Asthana is Modiji’s ‘brahmastra’. He has promised that come what may, he will get the job done,” he said.

The AAP leader said his party does politics of truth and honesty. “You can send the CBI and the ED, we will welcome them,” he said, adding that the BJP is scared of AAP’s rising popularity.

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