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Delhi CM Kejriwal uses BJP supporter’s tweet and twists it to attack Gujarat government

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi CM Kejriwal uses BJP supporter’s tweet and twists it to attack Gujarat government

On April 10, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal used a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker’s tweet about the education system in general and used it to target the Gujarat government. In his tweet, CM Kejriwal said, “People of BJP are also raising questions on the crumbling education system of Gujarat. Rising above the party line, voice has started rising for a good education in Gujarat. BJP could not give good education in 27 years. “AAP” government will give good education in Gujarat similar to Delhi by taking the people of Gujarat and all the parties along.”

Misleading tweet by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.

He was replying to Dr Bharat Kanabar, a BJP worker of 35 years. Attaching an old 2015 photo from Bihar, Kanabar had said, “‘K’ is the ‘K’ of the lotus. No one taught the ‘x’ of ‘x’ education. Education has become a commodity. Education has become a commodity in this country of 900 universities and 40 thousand colleges, whose buyers and sellers are shameless. The education system is plagued by viruses like paper leaks, exam theft, fake degree certificates.” Nowhere in his tweet did he mention Gujarat. However, CM Kejriwal used the tweet and twisted it to target the Gujarat government.

Now-deleted tweet by Dr Bharat Kanabar

Clarification by Dr Kanabar

Later, Kanabar deleted the tweet after the unwanted attention thanks to Kejriwal’s quote tweet and clarified his stand. He said, “The photograph was from Bihar. The main issue is about the evils of the education sector. There is no need to applaud Congress or the AAP. I have been an active activist for BJP for 35 years. The ideology of nationalism is in the veins, so even if you wake up and ask, only the “K” of the lotus will be spoken.”

The reality behind the image

The image used by Kanabar was from 2015, and it showed family and friends of the students climbing the walls of the examination centre to help the students in cheating. Over 300 people were arrested in the case.

AAP ‘education model’ and fake degrees

While Kejriwal may be trying to enter Gujarat through his ‘education model’, factual data shows that Delhi is far behind other states when it comes to education. CM Kejriwal may have forgotten that his own ex-Law Minister Jitinder Singh Tomar was accused of obtaining a fake degree. Interestingly, after High Court cancelled his election, AAP fielded his wife Preeti Tomar in Assembly elections.

From Legends of The Ramayana to education and message to writers – Watch Author Amish in conversation with OpIndia’s Nirwa Mehta

OpIndia Staff
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From Legends of The Ramayana to education and message to writers – Watch Author Amish in conversation with OpIndia’s Nirwa Mehta

Best-selling author of the Shiva trilogy and the Ram Chandra series, Amish Tripathi sat down with OpIndia and talked about his new series Legends of The Ramayana, which is streaming on Discovery+.

Amish said he learned a new thing every day while making the series, and it brought him closer to Lord Ram and Goddess Sita. He thanked the makers for the idea of making the documentary and said it came as a blessing for him.

Amish, whose fourth book in the Ramchandra series is all set to launch very soon, said the makers wanted to make a documentary that was respectful to the Indian culture. Amish said they went to all the locations, including Ayodhya, Prayagraj, Chitrakoot, Panchvati, Hampi, Rameshwaram, and in Sri Lanka, Sigiriya, which was Ravan’s capital.

He said there could be many reasons Sanatan Dharma survived, but all the other pre-Bronze religions died. It could be our ancestors never surrendered, or it could be we were decentralized, so there was not a single head that, if cut, would end the Sanatan Dharma.

Amish added he feels we have a fine mix of rigidity and flexibility. We never got dethatched from our stories. However, we were flexible enough to add a little bit of modernization to the stories. He gave examples from Ramayana, in Valmiki Ramayana, there is no mention of Lakshman Rekha, but it finds reference in Ramcharitra Manas. However, the picturization in the 1980s Ramayana series is different from what was depicted in Ram Charitramanas.

While talking about the importance of including the ancient way of teaching in the modern education system, he said what we learn is the European way of history. They made it look like their history is history, but anyone else’s is mythology. He said fighting the battle of history and mythology on the European battleground is a waste of time, and instead of convincing others, we should concentrate on analyzing how our history can be beneficiary for us.

You can watch the interview here.

West Bengal: TMC leader’s son accused of raping and murder of a minor girl, cremated body forcefully

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: TMC leader’s son accused of raping and murder of a minor girl, cremated body forcefully

A Trinamool Congress leader’s son has been accused of raping a juvenile girl by inviting her to his birthday party. The girl died from heavy bleeding, and her body was purportedly cremated by the accused forcefully.

The incident happened on last Monday in the Shyamnagar locality of  Gajna gram panchayat in Nadia’s Hanskhali number one block. As soon as the incident became known, there was outrage among the locals.

The accused’s name is Brajgopal, the son of Gajna Gram Panchayat member Samar Gowla. Brajgopal’s birthday was on Monday. The minor, a Bogula inhabitant, was invited by Brajgopal to his home for a party. The minor’s family members claimed that the 14-year-old girl went to Brajgopal’s residence that night with another girl and a few others.

The family members said that individuals at Brajgopal’s residence alerted them that the girl had been unwell at the party. They stated they were urged to take the kid to a local doctor. The family also alleged that they were prohibited from taking the girl to a hospital or a private facility.

The girl was rushed to a local doctor by her family members as suggested, but she could not be saved. The next day, she died. According to the family, the girl died as a result of excessive bleeding. Her family members also said that after her daughter died on Tuesday, the Trinamool leader and his party workers forcefully burnt her body at a nearby crematorium.

The minor’s relatives said that they were horrified at the loss of their daughter. However, after receiving assurance from Child Line staff, they filed a case with Hanskhali police station. They allege that the girl was gang-raped.

The victim’s relatives have also accused the police of misconduct. According to them, Hanskhali Police Station head Mukunda Chakraborty refused to consider the gang rape accusation.

TMC leader and accused’s father, Samar Gowla, stated, “My son was rumoured to have an affair with the girl. However, no celebration was planned at home on that particular day. If they are throwing a party, it is inside their circle of friends. I’m not sure.”

North Korea calls US President Joe Biden ‘an old man in his senility’ after he called Vladimir Putin a war criminal

OpIndia Staff
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North Korea calls US President Joe Biden ‘an old man in his senility’ after he called Vladimir Putin a war criminal

North Korea is known to call global political figures the names and adjectives no less weird than its own rules. This time North Korea has called American president Joe Biden an old man in his senility after he termed Russian president Vladimir Putin a war criminal.

The official news agency KCNA (Korean Central News Agency) carried a commentary on Saturday 9th April 2022. In this commentary, it said, “the latest story is the US chief executive who spoke ill of the Russian president with groundless data.” It is notable that Joe Biden had called Vladimir Putin a war criminal and called for him to be put on trial for the atrocities against Ukrainian civilians.

KCNA added in its commentary, “Such reckless remarks can be made only by the descendants of Yankees, master hand at aggression and plot-breeding. The conclusion could be that there is a problem in his intellectual faculty and that his reckless remarks are just a show of imprudence of an old man in his senility.”

According to a report by News18, the commentary by Korean Central News Agency also described Biden as a president known for his repeated slip of tongue. However, it did not clearly mention his name. It further said, “Gloomy, it seems, is the future of the U. S. with such a feeble man in power.”

This is not the first time that North Korea has made such remarks about the global political leaders especially the president of the United States. Even before Joe Biden was declared a presidential candidate, KCNA called him a rabid dog that must be beaten to death with a stick. Before that, it referred to former US President Donald Trump as a mentally deranged US dotard. Donald Trump’s predecessors Barack Obama and George W. Bush were termed as a monkey and half-baked man by KCNA.

North Korea has been supporting Russia in the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, and has accused the US of being the root cause of the crisis. The country had voted in favour of Russia in the United Nations General Assembly to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council.

Imran Khan beaten up in his office by General Bajwa: Pakistanis claim on social media amidst political turmoil in the country

OpIndia Staff
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Imran Khan beaten up in his office by General Bajwa: Pakistanis claim on social media amidst political turmoil in the country

On Sunday (April 10) morning, social media was rife with claims that Pakistani Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Bajwa roughed up Prime Minister Imran Khan at his residence on Saturday night for allegedly trying to remove him and changing the leadership of the Pakistani army.

The development comes at a time when Pakistan is going through a period of political turmoil, with the Imran Khan government failing to win the no-confidence motion. New PM Shehbaz Sharif is likely to take office soon and form a new government.

One Twitter user Ali claimed, “Around 10:00 at night PM denotified Gen Bajwa. Meanwhile, a helicopter arrived at PM House. At PM House, soldiers stopped the speaker in the waiting room. Imran was waiting for Gen Faiz but Gen Bajwa himself was in the helicopter. (The) meeting started in the room and it was a very bad one.”

Screengrab of the tweet

Another Pakistani Twitter user alleged, “He didn’t hand over. He was forced out at gunpoint. Bajwa and DGISI came in helicopter, entered PM House and misbehaved with PM. It is a coup with civilian facade. America, 3 stooges, judges, and Army chief were complicit. III Brigade was deployed. They will now eliminate IK.”

Screengrab of the tweet

Another user Marium wondered whether Imran Khan was indeed slapped and assaulted in the aftermath of ‘denotifying’ General Bajwa as the Chief of Army Staff.

Screengrab of the tweet

“Interestingly, Imran was expecting Faiz to arrive when a helicopter landed at PM House but to his utter shock, it was Gen Bajwa, who in his mind had already been removed. That’s when he decided to call it quits. It was his last roll of the dice. And wrong numbers had come up,” wrote another Pakistani user.

Screengrab of the tweet

A Twitter user Zameer Afaqi claimed, “Sad. According to sources, IK passed an order to dismiss Bajwa but defense secretary didn’t move the summary. Also, PM house was bugged so Bajwa got aware in time. He reached PM house in a helicopter and his men thrashed IK. He was slapped and kicked several times before he gave up.”

Screengrab of the tweet

Citing sources, another Pakistan claimed that Imran Khan was locked up for an hour by General Bajwa. “Imran khan removed Bajwa last night, (and) appointed a new officer. But, when (the) desired helicopter landed on PM house, it was Bajwa instead of his desired Officer. IK was locked up for an hour,” he asserted.

Screengrab of the tweet

Counterclaims are also being made on Twitter by Pakistanis, citing security sources, that General Bajwa did not meet Imran Khan at Prime Minister’s Office on April 9 evening.

Interestingly, a petition was also filed before the Islamabad High Court, seeking a stay on ‘attempts’ by Imran Khan to ‘denotify’ General Qamar Bajwa as COAS. It was filed by Advocate Adnan Iqbal, citing Article 199 of the Pakistani Constitution.

The petitioner had accused Khan of using ‘arbitrary powers’ for personal and political gains. He prayed before the court that the notification against General Bajwa be termed ‘illegal, insignificant and void.’ Meanwhile, Pakistani Information Minister Fawad Chowdhury denied the allegations of trying to de-seat General Bajwa as the COAS.

He claimed, “The government fully understands the importance of the army chief and Pakistan Army as an institution. Reports that anyone is even thinking of changing the leadership of Pakistan Army are baseless rumours and lies. This is being done under an agenda. The government condemns these rumours and completely denies them.”

Imran Khan loses no-confidence motion

Imran Khan’s tenure as Prime Minister of Pakistan was finally over on Saturday night as he lost the no-confidence motion in Pakistan’s National Assembly. Khan joined the long list of Pakistani Prime Ministers who have failed to complete their full tenure as per the official Pakistani Constitution.

Since Pakistan’s inception, no PM has managed to survive the full term, and Imran Khan didn’t turn out to be an exception. This time, there was no direct coup by the Pakistan Army, and Imran was displaced by a show of opposition unity, and by America as per Imran’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Pakistan Army, which had allegedly installed Imran as the PM of the country, didn’t come to his support as he lost the battle in Supreme Court and then the National Assembly.

In the run-up to the no-confidence vote, Imran Khan and his party colleagues repeatedly said that their government was being destabilized by a foreign power, namely the United States of America. They said that Imran Khan is being punished for visiting Russia ahead of the Russia-Ukraine war. However, this attempt to blame foreign powers didn’t work, and Imran Khan ended up losing his post as the Prime Minister of Pakistan.

The opposition parties in Pakistan had accused Khan of corruption and economic mismanagement, along with the prevailing high inflation and a weakening currency. While Imran tried to rally support around him through religion and by claiming a foreign conspiracy against Pakistan, eventually it wasn’t enough.

Doordarshan live telecasts Shri Ram Janmotsav from Ayodhya, watch

OpIndia Staff
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Doordarshan live telecasts Shri Ram Janmotsav from Ayodhya, watch

On April 10, Doordarshan telecasted Shri Ram Janmotsav live from Ayodhya for the first time in history. Ram Navami celebrates the birth of Shri Ram which took place in Ayodhya in modern day Uttar Pradesh.

DD Network channels, including Doordarshan, DD Bharti and others, live telecasted the festivities straight from Ram Lalla darbar. Ram Navmi, the day on which Bhagwan Ram was born, was celebrated for the first time on Ram Mandir premises since the construction of the Bhavya Ram Mandir began in Ayodhya. For the last two years, the celebrations could not take place because of Covid-19.

Thousands of devotees attended the celebrations at Ram Janmbhoomi, Kanak Bhawan and other temples of Ayodhya. Several cultural events were also organized at Tulsi Udhyan, Bhajan Sandhya Sthal, Guptaar Ghat, Digambar Akhada, Valmiki Bhawan, Digambar Jain Mandir, Ram Ki Paudi, and Gandhi Ashram.

Around 20 lakh devotees were expected to reach Ayodhya as per reports. An eleven feet tall and six-inch-wide incense stick was also burnt in front of Ram Lalla Virajmaan that would burn for 3-4 days.

Jalabhishek of Ram Lalla Virajman was done with one quintal of Charnamrit. Furthermore, 56 dishes and 2.5 quintal sweets were prepared for the festival. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath did a virtual darshan of Ram Lalla Virajman from Gorakhnath Temple.

Two year-long waits for celebrations

On March 25, 2020, Shri Ram Lalla was shifted from the tent to Manas Mandir. CM Yogi had planned grand celebrations for Janmotsav, but things did not work out due to the Covid-19 lockdown. For the last two years, the celebrations have been taking place on a minimal scale.

Gujarat: Family kidnaps own daughter marrying a Hindu man, thrashes her husband

OpIndia Staff
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Gujarat: Family kidnaps own daughter marrying a Hindu man, thrashes her husband

A 24-year-old man from Gujarat’s Sarkhej was beaten up by three of his wife’s family members, who also kidnapped his wife after they objected to the interfaith marriage.

According to the reports, Lalit Khandvi, who works as a delivery person with a food delivery service, has filed a complaint against the family of his wife Simran Multani, alleging that his in-laws have kidnapped his wife.

Khandvi had met his wife, Simran Multani, at a wedding in Vatva around four years ago. At the time, Khandvi lived in Vatva while Simran resided in Bharuch. The couple fell in love and began dating each other.

According to the complaint, Simran called Khandvi on December 25, 2021, and informed him that her mother was about to marry her to someone else.

Lalit and Simran decided to run away to Delhi and married at an Arya Samaj temple before returning to Ahmedabad. The two stayed with their family in Vastral for some time before moving to Sarkhej around three months ago.

Lalit said that during the wee hours of Thursday, Simran’s mother Zulekha, her sons-in-law Javed Multani and Taiyab Multani forcefully entered his house and dragged Simran away. Three other men had accompanied Simran’s family, who brutally thrashed the Hindu youth as he tried to stop Simran from being kidnapped.

Khandvi said that they then fled towards Bakrol Circle on Dholka road. He called up the police control room and registered a case of abduction, causing hurt and abetment against the six accused.

Maharashtra: 109 transport corporation workers arrested, sent to judicial custody for protesting at Sharad Pawar’s residence

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: 109 transport corporation workers arrested, sent to judicial custody for protesting at Sharad Pawar’s residence

On 8th April 2022, hundreds of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) workers of Maharashtra protested in front of the house of Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar and some of them had pelted stones and slippers there. After the protests, as many as a total of 110 people including transport workers’ lawyer Adv Gunaratna Sadavarte were arrested on 8th April 2022 by Gavdevi police.

The 109 accused state transport workers are sent to judicial custody while Advocate Gunaratna Sadavrte has been sent to police custody for two days. The custody was remanded by the Esplanade metropolitan magistrate court on Saturday 9th April 2022. 

The counsel for the state transport employees Gunaratna Sadavarte was held responsible for the alleged attack during the protest. After his arrest at around 11 PM on 8th April 2022, he was first taken to Nair Hospital and then to JJ Hospital for a medical examination. His medical examination lasted for four hours at JJ Hospital. There were heated arguments from both sides when Sadavarte was produced before the Qila Court on 9th April 2022.

Public Prosecutor Pradeep Gharat had sought 14-day police custody of advocate Gunaratna Sadavarte. Sadavarte is accused of giving an inciting speech on Azad ground in Mumbai and inciting the workers to attack the residence of Sharad Pawar. But the court said “How can it be decided if he instigated the ST workers? Since the number of allegations is large, how to interrogate him?”

In response to this, Pradeep Gharat argued, “We have CCTV footage of the attack. Sadavarte is behind this and we still want to investigate who else is with him. We also suspect that some of the workers were under the influence of alcohol. They should definitely be given custody as we want to know if they are ST employees or not.”

Gunaratna Sadavrte’s counsel Mahesh Vaswani argued, “Many things seem to have been framed in the FIR against Sadavarte. Sadavarte has not spoken about the agitation anywhere in Mumbai. Gunaratna Sadavarte was not there even at the time of the attack. At the time of the attack, he was busy in the Court of Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal. Sadavarte had always said that ST workers should maintain the peace. Sadavarte was also not served a notice while taking him into custody. This shows the anger of the government. I have CCTV footage on the spot. But Sadavarte is not seen anywhere in it.”

Hundreds of enraged State Transport workers had broken into the residence ‘Silver Oak’ of veteran Marathi politician and NCP president Sharad Pawar on 8th April 2022, alleging that he did nothing to fulfil their demands. The employees of MSRTC have been on a strike since October last year, demanding that the transport corporation be merged with the state government so that they are entitled to salaries and benefits as state government employees.

West Bengal: Violence erupts after businessman and civic volunteer shot and beheaded by Jane Alam Mollah for asking to return money he owed

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: Violence erupts after businessman and civic volunteer shot and beheaded by Jane Alam Mollah for asking to return money he owed

On Saturday (April 9), a civic volunteer and his friend were shot and beheaded in West Bengal after they went to recover money paid to the accused. The incident took place in the Magurpukur area in Magrahat in the Diamond Harbour subdivision of South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.

As per reports, a 27-year-old Malay Makhal had given ₹80,000 to a local businessman named Jane Alam Mollah for purchasing building materials. However, months passed without Alam delivering on his promises. The accused also refused to return the money that he took from Makhal.

On the fateful day of April 9, Alam sent a message to the deceased, expressing his willingness to return the money owed by him. A ‘naive’ Malay Makhal, accompanied by his friend and civic volunteer Barun Chakraborty, went to meet the Mollah to collect the money.

But when they reached the place, they were brutally killed. The duo was first taken to Alam’s factory, where they were shot dead at point-blank range and after that, they were beheaded with sharp weapons. The local residents in the area got suspicious after seeing the bikes of the deceased, which were parked outside Jane Alam Mollah’s factory.

On questioning Alam, he claimed that Malay and Barun were drinking at his factory. His response failed to convince the locals, who then barged into the factory to find the truth. To their horror, they discovered the bodies of the two victims lying in a pool of blood.

After the incident came to the light, the locals demanded the immediate arrest of the accused. They also set two vehicles on fire while protesting against the gruesome killings. After the violent protests, a large contingent of police personnel, Rapid Action Force (RAF) was deployed to control the law and order situation in the area.

Locals set 2 vehicles on fire, demand arrest of Jane Alam Mollah (Photo Credits: Sangbad Pratidin)

The fire brigade was called in and they extinguished the fire that engulfed the two vehicles. It must be mentioned that Jane Alam Mollah has been absconding since the incident. A manhunt has been launched by the police to nab the accused using his mobile tower location.

While speaking about the matter, Diamond Harbour police SP Abhijit Banerjee informed, “We learnt that the accused Jane Alam took large sums of money from people under the pretext of providing building materials for construction. The two victims were also duped in a similar fashion.”

“The incident (murder) took place when the duo came to meet him for loan recovery. This is what we found in the preliminary probe. An investigation is underway,” the official added. MLA (Magarhat Purba) Namita Saha had also condemned the incident and said that the accused would be hanged, if the court said so.

Mayawati calls out Rahul Gandhi’s lies, gives a befitting reply to his baseless allegations

OpIndia Staff
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Mayawati calls out Rahul Gandhi’s lies, gives a befitting reply to his baseless allegations

On April 10, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati gave a befitting reply to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi when she dismissed his allegations of BSP being afraid of BJP as totally baseless. Addressing the media, Mayawati said, “Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of BSP being afraid of BJP & that they asked us about the alliance & offered CM post to me & that I didn’t respond is outrightly fallacious.”

Mayawati said that the comments made by Rahul Gandhi showed his malevolence towards the Dalits, backward classes, and the BSP. She said, “While BSP is working extensively towards the upliftment of these communities, Congress has failed to do so during its tenure at the center.”

She said, for years Congress kept these communities deprived of a fair share in the central schemes, including reservation. “They kept the backward section dependant on others,” she added, “The former Congress President is unable to keep his own house in order, and now he is trying to intrude into our matters.”

Mayawati recalled how Rajiv Gandhi had called the founder of BSP, late Kanshi Ram, an agent of the CIA, allegedly to demean the party. “Following his father’s footsteps, Rahul Gandhi nowadays keeps hitting BSP by alleging that the BSP chief is scared of CBI, ED, and Pegasus hence siding with BJP,” Mayawati said.

Mentioning Gandhi’s earlier statement where he claimed Congress had approached BSP for an alliance, she said, “Yesterday, Rahul Gandhi said that Congress had approached BSP for an alliance and offered the CM post to me. There is no truth in his statement. Every party should introspect after the UP Assembly elections results, but they should also avoid attacking other parties. Especially Congress should think 100 times about their own track record against BJP before commenting on BSP.”

She added that even if she forgets about the betrayal BSP faced at the hands of Congress in states like Madhya Pradesh, she cannot see Congress fighting with all its will against BJP anywhere. She also claimed Congress did not support her when she was Chief Minister of UP from 2007 to 2012. She said, “When I became CM in 2007 and Congress was in the center, they stopped a lot of projects in UP with a feeling of hatred towards my government.”

She said during that period, the verdict on Ram Janmbhoomi was scheduled, but the center did not provide any additional force. “They wanted to create unrest in the state so that they could impose President Rule and run the government themselves in UP from the background,” she said.

Rahul Gandhi’s statement against BSP

On Saturday, Rahul Gandhi had said that Congress had sent a message to Mayawati to form an alliance with Congress. “We sent a message to Mayawati to form an alliance. We told her to become Chief Minister. But she did not respond. I respect Kanshi Ram Ji. He raised the voice of Dalits. It is a different matter that Congress faced loss because of that. Today, Mayawati is saying she will not fight for them. She gave them the free path. Why? CBI, ED and Pegasus.” Gandhi was speaking at a book launch where he made the remarks.

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