In two different incidents in Bharatpur district of Congress-ruled Rajasthan, cow smugglers opened fire and pelted stones on police teams on Thursday and Friday where two cops were injured.
SP of Bharatpur Devendra Kumar Bishnoi confirmed this to OpIndia stating that the two incidents took place under two different police station areas, namely Sewar and Bharatpur town police station.
“There was information of the illegal transportation of cattle as well as movement of inter-state criminals from Sikari to the town area. Further investigation is going on,” Bharatpur SP said.
In both incidents, police arrested four cow smugglers and forwarded them to jail. Four cows were rescued from their possession besides a pickup van and bike (one each), three country-made pistols, 13 live bullets and 10 litre liquor.
In Sewar police station case, two constables Sanjay Kumar and Rahul Katara were injured when cow smugglers opened fire and pelted stones on a police party at Gandhi Nagar Colony during the patrolling on Friday night.
Sanjay Kumar was hit by a bullet whereas Rahul Katara suffered stone injuries. But both are out of danger. In this case, the police arrested one accused identified as Irshad (36), a native of Uthawad in Haryana and rescued four cows from a pickup van used for smuggling. Four other cow smugglers managed to escape taking advantage of darkness.
The Officer in charge of Sewar police station Arun Choudhary told the media that during patrolling, a police team spotted a cow laden pick-up van. When asked to stop the cow smugglers they opened fire. The police also fired in self-defence.
In the second incident reported on Thursday evening, three cow smugglers opened 25 rounds of fire on the police. Bharatpur police had inputs about the movement of some criminals involved in cow smuggling. Police laid a barricade in front of Anar Devi Government Senior Secondary School on Deeg Main Road. Criminals broke past barricading and when asked to stop they started firing on police. After an hour-long encounter and chase, police arrested them. One of them jumped in a pond to escape but was caught by police. Police had a tough time keeping civilians away from cross-firing as police also fired seven rounds of bullets.
Country-made pistols, liquor, live bullets and a bike was recovered from them. All three arrested, Taufique, Sahun and Rishal, are dreaded criminals who are wanted in over a dozen cases of cow smuggling lodged at 15 police stations in Bharatpur and Alwar of Rajasthan besides 3 police stations in Haryana.
Bharatpur is part of the Mewat region forming the part of Rajasthan and Harayana which is a sensitive zone in terms of organised crime, cattle smuggling, illegal Rohingyas and mob violence against police.
In February 2020, a police sub-inspector was injured when cow smugglers opened fire at cops when they were acting on specific input of cow smuggling. In August this year cow smugglers had again fired on cops.
A man named Vansh Bahadur was arrested by Uttar Pradesh Police for sharing disparaging messages against Goddess Durga on social media. The man has been accused of disturbing the communal harmony of the society amidst the Navratri festivities by sharing the messages. A case has been filed against the accused and his mobile phone has been confiscated.
The official Twitter account of Prayagraj Police took to Twitter to inform that accused Vansh Bahadur has been arrested by the police. He has been charged under Section 295A of the Indian Penal Code and Section 67 of the IT Act.
The arrest was made after several social media users flagged indecent remarks made by Vansh Bahadur in a Whatsapp group against Goddess Durga and demanded his arrest for insulting the Hindu God. The name of the Whatsapp group was ‘Mission 2022’, an apparent reference to the year when assembly elections are to be held in Uttar Pradesh.
The vulgar post had sought to mislead the readers about the essence of the Navratri festival. It also demeaned Goddess Durga, the deity who is worshipped by lakhs of Hindus around the world during the nine days of festivities.
Some of the aggrieved social media users even demanded action against the admin of the Whatsapp group where such deprecatory and patently misleading remarks against Goddess Durga were allowed to be disseminated.
— पंडित बृजेन्द्र शुक्ला (प्रमुख राष्ट्रीय सचिव)ABMS (@Brandshukla_) October 9, 2021
The police swung into action after social media users objected to the scurrilous post that was doing the rounds on Whatsapp. It arrested Vansh Bahadur, the originator of the message, and filed a case against him. Legal action will be taken against him, the police informed.
On Friday (October 8), Department of Investment and Asset Management (DIPAM) secretary Tuhin Kanta announced that Talace Pvt Ltd (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Sons Pvt Ltd) made the winning bid for Air India. The EV quote by Talace was ₹ 18,000 crores, which included a debt of ₹15,300 crores and a cash component of ₹2700 crores.
Ratan Tata, the former chairman of the Tata Group shared a tweet saying ‘Welcome back, Air India’. In a heartfelt note, he stated, “…Air India, under the leadership of JRD Tata, at one time, had gained the reputation of being one of the most prestigious airlines of the world. Tatas will have the opportunity of regaining the image and reputation it enjoyed in earlier years. Mr JRD Tata would have been overjoyed if he was in our midst today.”
Foundation of Air India and the role of JRD Tata in shaping it
The story of Air India began in 1932 when the visionary industrialist JRD Tata laid the foundation of Tata Aviation Service. Dubbed as the ‘Tata Air Mail’, he started the airline with an investment of ₹2 lac rupees. His fascination for the airline business began in 1927 while sketching Charles Lindbergh (who had crossed the Atlantic solo that year). When Flying Club opened in Mumbai 2 years later in 1929, JRD Tata enrolled on a flying programme. He spent hours mastering the art to fly a plane.
The flying licence of JRD Tata, image via Tata.com
In 1932, he piloted the first cargo flight (carrying 25 kg of airmail) of Tata Aviation Service from Karachi to Madras through Ahmedabad, Pune, Bombay, Bellary, Kolhapur and Bangalore. It was a three-seater, single-engine, unpressurised de Havilland Puss Moth. It was a historical moment for the Indian aviation industry and JRD Tata saw to it that his airline business turned it into a profit-making venture. Within 5 years, the airline had made ₹6 lac in profits.
In 1938, the name of the airline was changed to ‘Tata Airlines’ from ‘Tata Aviation Service’. However, World War II broke out the following year. And the British government took control of all the aircraft that were owned by JRD Tata. It was only after the end of WWII that he restored control over his own company. In 1946, he renamed ‘Tata Airlines’ to ‘Air India’ and relaunched it as a joint-stock company.
The first flight in Indian aviation history, image via Tata.com
A Himalayan blunder and Nehru’s treacherous ways
Perhaps, the first ‘nail in the coffin’ came from the end of Tata Group who were oblivious to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s treacherous ways. In 1947, the Tatas gave the Congress government a proposal to acquire a 49% stake in Air India Ltd, with a provision to later increase it by 2% (i.e. a total of 51% majority stake). Tata Group was to hold 25% ownership in the company while the rest was to be publicly traded.
JRD Tata was not a fan of ‘nationalisation.’ When talks were rife about nationalising private entities in India, he had remarked, “There is an overwhelming case against nationalisation of India airlines.” By 1948, the Nehru-led-Indian government held a 49% stake in Air India Ltd. JRD Tata was unable to fathom the drastic move by Nehru which was to wreak havoc on the airline industry and the empire he built.
The year was 1953. The Indian government decided to nationalise Air India and the airline industry. In his own words, Tata recounted, “(I was) indignant at the manner in which the government had treated the air transport industry.”
Nehru acquired the remaining 2% to become the majority stakeholder in Air India Ltd. At a mere ₹2.8 crores, the then Indian government purchased the stocks of Air India. By shelling out an additional ₹3 crore of taxpayer money, PM Nehru purchased other domestic airlines and nationalised the entire industry. As a gesture of tokenism, the Congress government allowed him to remain the ‘unpaid’ Chief/Chairman of the airlines for 25 years until 1978. Later, the Indira Gandhi government re-appointed him as the Chairman between 1980-1986.
Nehru used backdoor channels to get Air India nationalised, upset JRD Tata
Interestingly, the decision of ‘nationalisation’ was made by Nehru without consulting the Tata Group. Air India was a successful private venture, which was even invited by the Singapore government to set up the Singapore airlines. It thus came as a surprise when the first Prime Minister insisted that there was no option other than nationalisation. “(The government was) driven to the conclusion that there was no other way out except to organise [the airlines] together under the State,” Nehru claimed in a letter to JRD Tata.
“My friend Nehru stabbed me in my back. I can only deplore that so vital a step was taken without giving us a proper hearing,” JRD Tata lamented on the betrayal of his ‘friend’. And the rest remains history. The once successful private player in the airline industry was reduced to a loss-making venture. With subsequent government interference and bureaucratic red tapeism, Air India ended up with an accumulated loss of ₹80,000 crores.
Nationalisation of Air India and Aftermath
Alok Bhatt, in an article in News18, quantified the loss and provided a fresh perspective. He estimated that ₹80,000 crores (had it not been a lost cause) could provide ₹ 5 lakh Ayushman health benefit to almost 10 crore citizens or could have been used for the construction of 9,000-km long (4-lane highway)/ 5,250-km long(6-lane highway). He added that the bailout package provided to Air India in the last decade could support the Union government’s POSHAN project for 2 long years.
JRD Tata on 50th anniversary of his first airmail flight, image via HT
In his parting note, JRD Tata said, “And now the time has come to say goodbye. As we turn the last page and put away the book, regret or bitterness has no place in our hearts. Instead, we may find content in the thought that what we did was worth doing, that we set our standards high and would not lower them, that we never need part with our memories…” From being an excellent aviator to pioneering India’s first airline enterprise to losing his dream and hard work to the government, JRD Tata saw it all in his lifetime. With the Tatas finally acquiring Air India from the government, a historical wrong has been set right. In his heavenly abode, JRD Tata can now take a sigh of relief.
India Today journalist Rajdeep Sardesai was left red-faced on Saturday after Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan gave a befitting response to his question on the binary of Hindu majority and Muslim minority. Khan expressed his disapproval over the question of majority-minority and stated that when it comes to India, all its citizens regardless of their religion enjoy “equal rights”.
When Sardesai asked Khan how he saw his identity as an Indian Muslim, the Kerala governor appeared thoroughly exasperated by the question asked of him by the India Today journalist. Nevertheless, he responded by saying, “We are celebrating the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. Our independence did not come for free. It was accompanied by the partition of the country, a bloody partition of the country. There was a lot of bad blood and violence between the communities then…I think the partition happened because of this imaginary Muslim question, because of this question over majority and minority.”
Expressing his anguish over the media’s persistent efforts to divide the society on the basis of religion, Khan said that after 75 years of India’s independence, it is pitiful that the media was still drumming up the divisive discourse instead of discussing Sabka Saath Sabka Vikaas Sabka Vishwas.
“The British never considered India as a nation. They always considered it as a conglomeration of communities. But this constitution considered citizens as the constituent unit of India. Where is the question of communities now? Come to my village and ask a Muslim about what is this Muslim question. He will be perplexed. Because he is facing the same problems as those faced by peasants belonging to other communities. Just because someone in Hyderabad said there exists a Muslim question, we have taken it seriously,” Arif Mohammad Khan said.
Speaking on the segment ‘Majority, Minority: The Battle of Belonging’ during the India Today conclave in Delhi, Khan said the Indian civilisation and “our cultural heritage” has no concept of discrimination on the grounds of one’s religion.
“Indian civilisation has never been defined by religion, all other civilisations were defined either by religion, mostly by religion, and also before that by race and language,” he said while citing a few shlokas to back his claim.
When asked whether Indian politics has moved from resorting to minority appeasement to majoritarianism in the last few decades, Khan said it is just India’s constitution but its millennia-old traditions that have never subscribed to the ideology of division and segregation.
“It is not only our Constitution that gives equal rights to people, but more than that our cultural heritage, the Indian civilisation, has no concept of discrimination on the basis of the religion, therefore to link the two, I find it preposterous,” he said.
Tej Pratap Yadav, the eldest son of Lalu Prasad Yadav, remains on the news most of the time, however most of it for non-political reasons. This time he has become a subject of memes by claiming that before joining politics, he was a pilot who was selected for the Indian Air Force, and he used to fly the Cessna aircraft.
Addressing workers of his Chatra Janshakti Parishad on October 7, talked about his student life, Tej Pratap Yadav said that he has a background of pilot. He said that he had filled the form for Indian Air Force, and he was selected. After that, he joined the Bihar Flying Institute in Patna for a three-year flying course, out of which he had completed two years.
His comments can be heard in the original full video below posted by Chhatra Janshakti Parishad, from 15 minutes mark.
Tej Pratap Yadav said that he used to fly Cessna aircraft during his training at the Flying school. Then he claimed that he had an ID card with ‘captain’ prefixed to his name, and he was known as ‘Captain Tej Pratap’.
Tej Pratap had made similar claims last year too during an interview with Quint during the Bihar elections. ‘I used to be pilot before joining politics’, he had said during the interview, adding that he had joined the Bihar Flying Institute for a flying course, adding that after completing 2 years, he had to leave as he joined politics.
Both the videos are being circulated on social media, implying that he is lying as it is known that both sons of Lalu Pratap in politics didn’t progress much ahead in politics. However, he is not lying completely, although he had made some very tall claims.
Contrary to popular belief, Tej Pratap Yadav has actually completed 12th, which means he is eligible to join a flying course. It is his brother Tejashwi Yadav who is 9th pass. One can become a commercial pilot by joining any DGCA approved private commercial pilot training centre, including the Bihar Flying Institute. After completing the course, one has to go through physical and written tests to get a licence as a pilot.
Tej Pratap Yadav had actually joined the Bihar Flying Institute, and therefore he is not lying on that point. A profile on him The Quint had said that he had got himself enrolled in Patna’s Bihar Flying Institute for a course, which would enable him to get a commercial pilot license. It further said that he underwent the pre-solo stage of training during which a trainee flies an aircraft with an instructor on board. This means, Tej Pratap didn’t fly the Cessna plane alone, however he flew a Cessna 172 plane with an instructor on board.
The rest of his comments are vastly exaggerated. As he had dropped out of the course after two years, he can’t call himself a ‘former pilot’. He was not a pilot before joining politics as he was claiming. He had only half completed the first stage of becoming a pilot. Just like people who drop out of medical or engineering colleges can’t call themselves doctors or engineers, people who drop out of a flying school can’t call themselves pilot.
The other claim of Tej Pratap Yadav, that he had an ID card with ‘captain’ prefixed to his name is even more curious. In Commercial pilots, the captain prefix is used only for the senior pilot in an aircraft who is in overall charge of the aircraft. Flying students definitely can’t be called captain, they are called cadets. It is not sure whether Tej Pratap Yadav mistook cadet for captain, or he was given a special privilege.
The claim that he was selected for IAF is also questionable, because just filling the form is not enough to be selected. One needs to clear a highly competitive entrance exam to get admitted to the Air Force Academy. While one can take the NDA (National Defence Academy) exam after 12th, one can take the Combined Defence Services (CDS) after graduation. There is no evidence that Tej Pratap Yadav had cleared the NDA exam after his 12th, therefore there is huge doubt over his claimed that he was ‘selected for Indian Air Force’.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma during his interview at the India Today Conclave 2021 criticized the so called ‘analysts’ for using the video of Priyanka Gandhi sweeping floors as a tool to further the Congress party’s political ambition.
The CM, after he was shown the video clip of Priyanka Gandhi sweeping floors at the event, said “.. I feel embarrassed when you asked me that a lady is sweeping floor and you give your comment. I have seen my mother sweep the floor always, so what is so special on this? I do not know why you make all these things. Then come to my house. I also do so many things and give me also publicity..” The anchor had earlier asked Sarma about his opinions on Priyanka Gandhi’s video.
When the anchor pointed out that many analysts are saying that the image of Priyanka Gandhi ‘sweeping floors’ is a game changer, Sarma said, “These analysts has mortgaged my country to a family for last so many years. These analysts are primarily responsible for mortgaging India to that one single family. Now India has changed.”
Speaking on the act of Priyanka Gandhi ‘sweeping floors’ CM said, “People like you will be impressed by these but general people of India will say, ‘what is this big thing? I do that every time’.”
CM Sarma also poked fun at the viral Priyanka Gandhi video and said, “..When she goes to a new planet like Kalpana Chawla then you tell me, look this Priyanka Gandhi is doing something great..” He also questioned how can a lady sweeping a floor become a news and also added, “..Sweeping is also not right. The way she is sweeping… It shows that she is doing it for the camera.”
Few days back, a video of Priyanka Gandhi sweeping floors of Sitapur Guest House in Uttar Pradesh appeared on social media and on Friday, she was seen sweeping the ground at a Dalit locality in Lucknow, surrounded by cameras. The Congress party and its sympathizers had declared it a turning point ahead of assembly elections in the state.
UP Congress Spokesperson Anshu Awasthi compared Priyanka Gandhi to the Hindu Goddess Durga saying, “The BJP government is hell scared of the ‘Durga-Avatar’ of Priyanka Ji. Our leader has started the process of sweeping sway the BJP from the state. The UP CM is so rattled by the fact that due to his inability crime is at its peak today in the state, unemployment has grown many fold times.”
Ahead of the upcoming assembly polls in various states that will undoubtedly set the tone for the all-important general elections in 2024, the BJP on Thursday rejigged its National Executive. Varun Gandhi, Subramanian Swamy, Maneka Gandhi were among the key leaders who were dropped from the council.
Among those who were removed from the party’s National Executive, Swamy’s ouster holds particular significance, given that the Rajya Sabha leader who was once a resolute supporter of the party had turned into a staunch critic, continuously on the prowl to attack the party and the Centre on everything under the sun.
Swamy turns his ire against the Modi government after his vaulting ambition of becoming a cabinet minister remaines unfulfilled
For months now, Swamy has been increasingly critical of the BJP government at the centre. It was widely rumoured that Swamy was coveting the post of Finance Minister ever since the BJP formed its government at the Centre in 2014. However, he was persistently denied the post, following which he started voicing his criticism against the economic and sundry other policies implemented by the central government.
Whenever there were rumours about a possible cabinet reshuffle, Swamy had his Twitter and other social media timelines replete with tweets and retweets that seemed to ridicule the central government for their choice of ministers who were most likely to get a post in the cabinet. In June 2021, as speculations of cabinet rejig started doing the rounds, Swamy was once again at the task of pressurising the party into anointing him as a Cabinet minister.
Swamy took to Facebook to say that he has been a Cabinet Minister twice in his life and both times, he did not ask to be made one. He then went on to say that Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, should display “gratitude” for all that Swamy has done for him between 2005 and 2014 and make him a Minister. He just casually reiterated that this should be done without him asking the PM for it, while publicly whining about it.
Source: Facebook
Earlier in February, Sway took a swipe at the Centre on the issue of rising fuel prices. Invoking the Ramayana, he said that petrol cost Rs. 92 in “Ram’s India”, Rs 53 in “Sita’s Nepal” and Rs 51 in “Ravan’s Lanka”. OpIndia had then written in detail how the disgruntled leader’s Tweet, which could only be described as a ‘WhatsApp forward’, was a far cry from reality.
As Hindutva politics regained momentum after the arrival of PM Modi on the national stage, Subramanian Swamy pivoted to rebrand himself as a Virat Hindu fighting for the interests of Hindus. When he realised that despite aligning with Hindutva he could not get an entry into the Modi government’s cabinet, he started pulling off antics to blackmail the centre and in the process degraded to become an eternal whiner, routinely cavilling over policy decisions taken by the centre and over their implementation.
It is no secret that Subramanian Swamy is thoroughly rattled by his exclusion from the government, as he was hoping to be a minister in the Modi government. In his frustration of not being appointed in the cabinet, Swamy is often seen on social media spreading misinformation and floating preposterous conspiracy theories. He had claimed that the siege of the Red Fort on Republic Day was a PMO plot. He also launched an anti-vaccine tirade in response to the Modi government’s Covid-19 vaccine drive.
It is worth noting that Swamy has always been fickle about his political ideology. He has, time and again, placed emphasis on his personal gains than loyalty to his organisation. For Swamy, bartering his political ideology is an acceptable course of action if that helps him in accomplishing his short-term political ambitions. Because of these characteristics, he is often described on social media platforms as a political chameleon, someone who engages in a type of social shape-shifting in order to blend in with those he thinks could help him in attaining his objectives.
This is why he inspires distrust and his stances keep oscillating. From an anti-corruption crusader to a Virat Hindu to a Whistleblower and whatnot, Swamy keeps adroitly remoulding his image that suits his hitherto political ideology. When he realises he is unable to achieve what he is desirous of, he grows disillusioned with his party and colleagues and turns his back on them to ally with the opposition. This is one of the reasons why no party has truly been able to trust Swamy to give him a position of power.
Swamy’s close ties with godman-cum-power broker Chandraswami linked to Saudi Arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi
In order to hedge his bets, Swamy hobnobbed with leaders across the political spectrum. Not just this, he is also known for fraternising with controversial characters such as godman-cum-power broker Chandraswami. An astrologer and Tantrik by profession, Chandraswami was regarded as close to prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao and was probed for his alleged role in plotting and financing the killing of Rajiv Gandhi. The self-proclaimed godman faced a bevvy of criminal cases—ranging from FERA violations, to blackmail and cheating, to shady arms deals.
But for Swamy, Chandraswami was a “close friend”. Swamy, in an interview with the Hindu after Chandraswami’s demise in 2017, had hailed the controversial godman as a “database of politics” and a man who had “great intuition about people’s character”. Swamy had then said it was Chandraswami who had apprised him of who’s who in politics and was useful in his political life.
Furthermore, it was Subramanian Swamy as India’s Law Minister in 1990-91 who transferred NK Singh, CBI officer in charge of St Kitts forgery case. Chandraswami was prime accused of conspiring to harm PM VP Singh’s image by forging documents to show that he was the beneficiary of a USD 21 million secret bank account in the Caribbean island.
The whole controversy erupted in August 1989 with the Kuwait-based ‘Arab Times’ carrying a report about the alleged bank account in the name of Ajeya Singh. Rajiv Gandhi was replaced by VP Singh as the Prime Minister and CBI registered a case in May 1990. The CBI probe found that the allegations of the “non-existent” bank account were floated by some “interested persons” to tarnish the image of VP Singh.
Saudi Arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, who was close to godman Chandraswami and was also linked to Rajiv Gandhi and Chandra Shekhar, was said to have some role in the case. Years later, as conclusive evidence could not be furnished in the court of law, Chandraswami was cleared from the case because there was no “direct evidence” to convict him.
“Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale was my friend. He never asked for a separate Khalistan”: Subramanian Swamy
Subramanian Swamy was also in thick with Khalistani terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Downplaying Bhindranwale’s role in Punjab insurgency, Swamy had said that he never demanded a separate “Khalistan” and it was “a conspiracy of external forces to disintegrate the nation.”
Offering an apologia for Bhindranwale, who led the Sikh terrorists hiding in the Golden Temple during Operation Bluestar, Swamy had said, “Show me a recording of any speech in which he raised such a demand of creating a separate Khalistan seceded from India. As per my conversation with him, he did not demand Khalistan, but said he won’t reject it (Khalistan) if anybody gifts it to them.”
After filing numerous cases and dragging the Gandhis to the court, one would have assumed that Swamy is resolute on an anti-corruption stance. But that’s not the case, says social media user Alok Bhatt. He notes that Swamy’s crusades on corruption have been going on, for decades for they are not an end but means to an end. That is why, Bhatt says, his targets keep changing and crusades never reach their logical end.
SuSu’s “so called” crusades on corruption have been going on for decades now- they are not an end but means to an end and that is why only his targets change- crusades never reach the end – read this INDIAToday piece form late 80s https://t.co/kZgHMxpjPr
An instructive article published in the 1980s threw light on how Swamy had mastered the art of using exposes to intimidate his political opponents but the article also mentioned how the attempts had often boomeranged and failed to yield any desired results.
Swamy had wanted RSS banned under TADA for felling the controversial Babri structure in Ayodhya, had asked the Rao govt to rebuild the place
Political expediency has been one of the strong suits of Subramanian Swamy. His support to a particular issue is contingent upon those who are in power and his relationship with them. Today, almost three decades after the controversial Babri structure was levelled in Ayodhya, Swamy cuts himself a figure of being a Virat Hindu who is uncompromising on his stance as far as the interests of Hindus are concerned. But back in 1992, Swamy had wanted the RSS and VHP to be banned under the Terrorists and Disruptive (Prevention) Act for their second “treachery” against the nation.
Source: Twitter
The first “treachery”, Swamy had said, was Nathuram Godse, who had assassinated Mohandas Gandhi. Swamy said the RSS and its front organisation have proved themselves to be “incorrigibly anti-national with no regard for national unity and harmony.”
Not only did Swamy wanted the Narsimha Rao government to ban the RSS and VHP under TADA, but he also wanted the government to declare that Babri controversial structure would be rebuilt and handed over to the Muslims, adding that the government should fob Hindus off with a nearby place where they could have their Ram Temple.
Swamy’s fickle relationship with the Gandhis
Swamy’s love-hate relationship with the Gandhis has been spotty. He was forced to go underground after Indira Gandhi’s imposed an Emergency in the country. Yet a few years later, when Mrs Gandhi asked him to speak to the Chinese on behalf of the government, he was more than willing, Samanth Subramanian mentioned in his 2012 profile of Swamy. This inconsistency characterised his relationship with other Gandhis as well.
Swamy had admitted that he was close to Rajiv Gandhi after Indira Gandhi’s assassination in 1984. He would often meet Rajiv Gandhi at 2 or 3 am in the morning and talk about everything. According to Swamy, Rajiv Gandhi would have made a “very, very good second-term prime minister” as he had matured a “great deal” as compared to his first term in the office.
In 1989, Swamy claimed that he was a free agent cobbling up opposition to replace Rajiv Gandhi’s government. But his actions betrayed that he was sabotaging the opposition unity and helping Rajiv Gandhi for his second term. Janata Dal leader VP Singh, whom Swamy praised as a “good man” in his interview in 1988, was ultimately elected the Prime Minister of India, with outside support from the Congress party.
But just a year later, in 1989, Swamy betrayed Singh, reviling him as an untruthful, conspiratorial, mafia collaborator. Swamy even flashed copies of a letter signed by the American detective Michael Hershman to allege that V.P. Singh had hired Hershman, two years ago, to investigate foreign bank accounts of opposition leaders. Swamy was then left red-faced when he travelled to the US and met Hershman who expressly denied sending the letter. Even worse, Hershman said VP Singh’s name had been in the original list of leaders under probe, but in Swamy’s list, that name was blacked out. To Swamy’s chagrin, it instantly proved that his list was trumped up, for VP Singh would not have ordered a probe against himself.
Besides Rajiv Gandhi, Swamy also shared a cordial relationship with his wife Sonia Gandhi, until of course, acrimony vitiated the relation. In 1999, he hosted a special tea party for J. Jayalalithaa with Sonia Gandhi as a special invitee at Delhi’s Ashok Hotel, which inevitably resulted in the former pulling out of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government after 13 months. Swamy had even claimed of Sonia promising to back a non-Congress, non-BJP led government with him as prime minister. Not only was Swamy credited for the fall of Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government, but he also took it upon himself the smear the image of Vajpayee and his colleagues as well.
Rajiv Gandhi and Subramanian Swamy(Source: DailyO)
However, like his other capricious relations in the past, Swamy turned against Sonia Gandhi. He floated a theory in 2001 that Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi’s marriage was a bond forged by Russia’s spy agency KGB.
In March 2001, Swamy called Minister of State for Personnel Vasundhara Raje to initiate a CBI probe into the allegations that Sonia was treating Tamil Tigers, the PMK and the “pro-LTTE and secessionist Dravida Kazhagam”, with kid gloves. The LTTE cadre also acted as “runners”, Swamy told India Today, to facilitate smuggling operations.
He also brought attention to a CBI inquiry from 1993 into a consignment originating from Chennai port that breached the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972. The CBI recorded that the artefacts were meant for one “Guide Zanderige” of Verona, Italy. Swamy alleged that this man was employed by the Mainos, the maternal family of Sonia Gandhi, and was procuring goods for “Etnica in Rivolta or Ganpati in Orbassano”, shops “owned by her (Sonia’s) family”.
Sonia Gandhi and Subramanian Swamy(Image Credits: The Hindu)
Swamy’s anathema for the Gandhi family, particularly with Sonia Gandhi, only grew with time. He started referring to Sonia Gandhi as Sonia Maino and “TDK”, an abbreviation for Tadaka, the demoness in the Ramayana, in his tweets and during public appearances. He pursued the corruption charges against the Gandhis in the National Herald Case. He also accused Sonia and her family members of giving out a contract to eliminate Rajiv Gandhi.
Is it not surprising that TDK and son as well as PC and son accused of swallowing thousands of crores rupees in assets are out on bail but Lalu Yadav not accused of even one ₹ but of enabling officials to steal is constantly refused bail? Are my facts wrong?
Ram Jethmalani describes Subramanian Swamy in his blog “The Diseased Insect”
In 1998, about 23 years ago, eminent lawyer Ram Jethmalani saw through what Subramanian Swamy truly was and summarised his critical opinions about him in his personal blog. In his blog titled “The Diseased Insect”, Jethmalani accused him of perennially fostering the frustration of not becoming the Prime Minister of India.
“This country has suffered many a misfortune but none greater than the vice and persistence in our public life of a despicable character called Subramanian Swamy. His has been a life of character assassination, malicious mendacity and sordid blackmail of anyone who happens to cross his path. Nobody has been able to deflect him from his criminal course of conduct because few have the inclination to take on this vicious viper and expose him for what he really is,” Jethmalani wrote.
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has summoned the driver of Shah Rukh Khan for questioning in connection with the Mumbai cruise ship drug bust, in which Aryan Khan was arrested. According to reports, the driver has reached the NCB office in Mumbai for questioning related to the matter.
According to Republic TV, the NCB panchnama related to the case says, “IO Ashish Ranjan Prasad asked them that whether they accepted and then Arbaaz A Merchant said that he is having Charas hidden inside his shoes. The Charas in zip lock pouch was taken out from shoes voluntarily by Arbaaz A Merchant and was handed over to IO Ashish Ranjan Prasad. The zip lock pouch was having a black sticky substance. It was tested with DD Kit which was confirmed as Charas. Arbaaz A Merchant admits that he consume charas with Aryan Khan Shahrukh and they are going inside Cordelia cruise for a blast. On asking, Aryan Shahrukh Khan admit he also consumes charas and the charas was meant for a smoke during the cruise journey…”
Aryan Khan, son of Shah Rukh Khan arrested in the matter, is currently lodged at the Arthur Road jail. The lawyer for Arbaaz Merchant has said that he will file a fresh bail application before the Session Court. No such confirmation has been made by the counsel for Aryan Khan, Satish Maneshinde. The Mumbai court had on Friday sent Aryan Khan, son of Shah Rukh Khan, to judicial custody for 14 days.
Earlier, the NCB raided the office and residence of film producer Imtiaz Khatri in Bandra, Mumbai in connection with the Mumbai cruise ship drug bust. Khatri came under the scanner after his name cropped up during the interrogation of one Achit Kumar, who was arrested earlier this week after a small quantity of “hydroponic weed alias multi-strain cannabis” was seized from his possession.
The recent surge in the incidents of targeted killing of Hindus in the valley has led to the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits residing in transit camps. Hundreds of families, including many government employees, who returned to the valley after being given jobs under the Prime Minister’s special employment scheme for Kashmiri migrants, have quietly left the transit camps where they were housed.
According to rough estimates, more than 1400 Hindus have reached Jammu from Kashmir in the last 3 days alone. Reports suggest that 70 people only from the Mattan area of south Kashmir have reached Jammu. These fear-stricken Hindus are being compelled to believe the valley has returned to the state that existed in the 1990s.
In the 1990s, a planned exodus by Islamic terrorists was unleashed on the Kashmiri Hindu population of Kashmir. Hindus were raped, murdered and asked to either convert to Islam or leave Kashmir. Almost overnight, thousands of Kashmiri Hindus had fled the state to protect themselves from Islamic terrorism.
These Hindus have said that almost 250 government employees have fled Kashmir to reach Jammu on Thursday night alone.
According to a report by NDTV, around 400 families of Kashmiri Pandits had been living in Sheikhpora, but, it now bears a deserted look as all these families have left following the killing of several Hindus in the last week in the valley.
The authorities, meanwhile, are trying their best to instil confidence among the minority Kashmiri Pandit community in the valley. The Jammu and Kashmir administration made fervent appeals to the Hindus to not think about migrating. Relief Commissioner AK Pandita assured of “providing full security” and said all deputy commissioners have assured full security to their colonies.
The brutal killing of a teacher and principal, as well as other civilians, in the region recently has caused concern among minority groups that they will be the next target.
On October 7, in an extremely brutal attack, two teachers, a Hindu and a Sikh, were shot dead at point-blank range at the Government Boys Higher Secondary School in Idgah, Sangam in Srinagar by Islamic terrorists in Kashmir. Pakistan based terror outfit ‘The Resistance Front’ (TRF), which has claimed responsibility for the attack, has said that they killed the teachers because they had asked students to attend the 15th August function in the school. As per reports, the teachers present were segregated on basis of their religions and presumably Muslim teachers were allowed to go. The Hindu and Sikh teacher were dragged outside and shot at point-blank range.
This attack came in less than 48 hours after the killing of Makhan Lal Bindroo, the Kashmiri Pandit who stood his ground and refused to leave Kashmir even during the heights of Islamic terror in 1990s. Two other persons were also killed on the same day.
In the wake of the ongoing protests against the offering of Namaz at public places in the Gurugram, the Hindu women of the Gurugram sector 47 came out today to join the protest. The women sang Hindu devotional songs ‘Kirtans’ and ‘Aratis’ as a sign of protest against the public Namaz. This was also accompanied by Namaz offering by the Muslims who had gathered there.
गुरुग्राम सेक्ट 47 : इतिहास में पहली बार नमाज़ के विरोध में, नमाज़ और कीर्तन एक साथ pic.twitter.com/K9Q62WiArx
Gurugram News reported a video from the scene showing a large crowd at sector 47. According to reports, the Hindu women of the area joined the protests against the public offering of Namaz taking place in the area. In the video, it could be seen both men and women were present at the scene chanting slogans. Reportedly, the Hindu women sang devotional songs such as ‘Bhajans’ and ‘Kirtans’ to protest against the public offering of Namaz by the Muslims. Also, the report said that the Namaz offering was being carried out under full police security.
Last month, there was a huge protest against the public offering of Namaz going on in the area. The local residents protested against the Muslim men crowding around their place and accused them of breaking law and order. Later, an RTI query was filed after Gurugram Police had claimed that Muslims were allowed to offer Namaz at public places as per a mutual discussion between Hindus and Muslims.
Advocate Abhishek Sharma of Gurugram district Court then filed an RTI and sought details of such namaz spots and the representatives of communities who were part of the ‘mutual agreements’. Sharma has also sought information on action taken against the encroachers in a letter to the Public Information Officer. However, Gurugram Police has deleted the tweet where it had claimed that Namaz at public places were allowed after mutual agreements of both Hindus and Muslims.
