#BJP protests infiltration

[townpostin]

Jharkhand Assembly Chaos: BJP Protests Infiltration, Tribal Issues

Opposition raises alarm over Bangladeshi influx and alleged mistreatment of tribal students Political turmoil erupts in Jharkhand as BJP confronts government on immigration and tribal concerns. RANCHI – The Jharkhand Assembly was subjected to disruptions as BJP legislators protested the alleged infiltration and mistreatment of tribal students by Bangladeshi nationals. The assembly proceedings on…

[jobaaj]

In case you missed it, here’s what you need to know: Farmers are protesting Again!! But why? In 2020, farmers protested against 3 controversial laws dubbed ‘anti-farmer’ while demanding a Minimum Support Price (MSP). The protest came to an end in 2021 when the three laws were annulled by the government but no guaranteed MSP was introduced.

Thousands of farmers, representing over 200 Unions, are marching to Delhi once again to get their demands fulfilled. Some of these demands are:- An MSP that is 50% higher than the cost of crop production. compensation for the farmers who lost their lives in the protests decommissioning the cases against the farmers who took part in the protests

Pensions for farmers. Debt waivers. Fulfillment of promises made in 2021. But there is something amiss. Why are the farmers protesting when elections are so close and Lok Sabha has almost been dissolved? Wouldn’t it be better to do so when the new government is formed? In 2021, governmental authorities claimed that Khalistani elements had infiltrated the protests. Are separatists provoking an anti-India movement when elections are right around the corner? Is this a farmers’ protest or a political move against the BJP?? Follow Jobaaj Stories (the media arm of Jobaaj.com Group) for more.

[gazetteweekly]

Today in Politics: PM Modi's Post-Budget Address, Kejriwal Rally, and Assembly Drama

PM Modi to Address CII Post-Budget Conference

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to speak at the “Journey Towards Viksit Bharat: A Post Union Budget 2024–25 Conference” organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in Delhi on Tuesday. The conference will showcase the government’s vision for growth and the role of industry in achieving it. Over 1,000 participants from various sectors, including industry, government, and diplomacy, will attend in person, with many more joining virtually from across the country and abroad.

Opposition Rally for Kejriwal’s Release

Meanwhile, at Jantar Mantar, the opposition-led INDIA bloc is holding a rally organized by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to protest the continued detention of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Despite his declining health, Kejriwal remains incarcerated in the now-defunct liquor policy case. The rally, featuring Congress, SP, RJD, TMC, DMK, CPI, CPI(M-L), NCP (SP), and Shiv Sena (UBT), aims to demonstrate opposition unity. AAP has accused the BJP of attempting to harm Kejriwal, citing medical reports of his deteriorating health.

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, who is attending the rally, will miss the farewell event for outgoing Governor Banwarilal Purohit. Purohit, who has had a contentious relationship with Mann, will be replaced by Gulab Chand Kataria.

Rajasthan Assembly Turmoil

In BJP-ruled Rajasthan, opposition parties, led by Congress and the Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP), have caused disruptions in the Assembly over allegations of crimes against Dalits. The Assembly faced three adjournments on Monday, with Speaker Vasudev Devnani promising to address these concerns during Zero Hour. Key issues raised included the murder of a Dalit teacher and various alleged atrocities against Dalits.

Jharkhand Assembly Chaos

In Jharkhand, where a JMM-led alliance is in power, the Assembly experienced chaos as BJP MLAs raised concerns over alleged Bangladeshi infiltration and atrocities against tribals. The disruptions led to multiple adjournments, with further confrontations expected as the Assembly reconvenes. Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma’s strategy to focus on these issues ahead of upcoming state polls continues to drive the BJP’s stance.

Assam’s Welfare Review

In Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is reviewing the progress of ongoing welfare projects with ministers, senior officials, and district commissioners in Guwahati. Sarma has emphasized the need for DCs to focus on their districts’ strengths and expedite construction of government buildings and development projects. The newly created sub-districts will begin operations on October 2, with foundation stones for their permanent offices to be laid.

Himachal Congress Leadership Changes

In Himachal Pradesh, Congress MP Pratibha Singh is in Delhi to meet with party president Mallikarjun Kharge. Singh, who also serves as the state Congress president, will present a detailed report on recent Lok Sabha and Assembly byelections and discuss potential changes to the party’s state organizational structure.

[tieflingkisser]

Indian PM Narendra Modi Runs on “Hatred and Demonization” of Muslims in World’s Largest Election

Millions of voters in India are casting their ballots in the third of seven phases in the country’s mammoth general election. The election pits Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist BJP party against an alliance of more than two dozen opposition parties led by the Indian National Congress. Modi has recently come under fire from opponents for referring to Muslims in India as “infiltrators,” but our guest, the award-winning Indian author and journalist Siddhartha Deb, points out that “the Hindu right, they’ve always been extreme,” using “genocidal language” to describe those who do not fit the ethnonationalist image of their “masculine, violent, patriarchal project” and modeling the vision for a Hindu supremacist state after Israel, with its “idea that a strong, muscular, militant majority that are the only people who have the right to [the] nation.” Deb, a professor at The New School, also discusses India’s growing inequality gap, U.S. politicians’ embrace of Modi, and faculty support for pro-Palestine student protests in the U.S.

[buzz-london]

Farmers Protests Update | 3 Suggestions For BOTH Protesters And Government - 1st Dec

Farmers have launched their Dilli Chalo march to protest against the latest farm bills passed by the Modi govt. However, these protests are developing similar trends to the anti-CAA protests and the discourse after the abrogation of article 370.

Some radical Leftist and Khalistani elements are infiltrating these protests, trying to exploit the fear and misinformation in these protests. They say that the BJP Govt does not want to listen to their concerns. These elements are encouraging extremism and violence. The global Khalistani Ecosystem is also mobilizing behind these protests. The protesters must condemn these elements.

On the part of the government, it's irresponsible to paint all of the protests as "Khalistanis". It's also important for the government not to outright discredit the farmers, but to communicate its plans correctly and understand the fear and plight of these farmers.

I outline 3 recommendations each for the protesters and the government to bring these protests to a peaceful conclusion.

https://youtu.be/NFTl_VwzAQ8

[bbcbreakingnews]

‘Mamata di, to defeat you …’: Amit Shah slams TMC’s ‘outsider’ jibe

NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday hit back at West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee over the “insider-outsider” debate and asserted that the next chief minister of the state will be a “son of the soil” from the BJP. In a firm response to the “outsider” debate fueled by the TMC, Shah said the BJP has enough local faces to take on the ruling party and nobody has to come from Delhi to defeat Mamata. “I think Mamata di has forgotten a few things. When Mamata di was in Congress, did she call Indira Gandhi an outsider? Did she use the term for then Prime Minister P V Narashima Rao or Pranab Da?” asked Shah. The TMC has been denouncing BJP as a party of outsiders ahead of next year’s assembly polls. It has also attacked the saffron party for deploying central ministers and leaders from different states for political campaigning. Pointing to several state BJP leaders sharing the stage with him, Shah asserted that his party has enough firepower to take the fight to the ruling TMC. “I want to tell the people of Bengal, this is an attempt to create an illusion. Mamata didi, nobody has to come from Delhi to defeat you. A leader from Bengal will contest against you and the next chief minister will be son of the soil if BJP is voted to power,” Shah said. Shah further accused Mamata of promoting “conservative thinking” by stoking the outsider debate. “Does Mamata didi want a country where people from one state can’t go to the other? Didi, people of Bengal won’t accept such conservative thinking,” Shah said. He also attacked the Mamata Banerjee government over Bangladeshi infiltration. “The TMC can never stop infiltration as it believes in appeasement politics. Only BJP can stop it… Mamata Banerjee supports farmers protest but doesn’t allow cultivators of Bengal to get the benefits of central schemes. Is this the way to honour the federal structure?” he said. Strongly condemning the recent attack on BJP president J P Nadda’s convoy, Shah said that Banerjee has failed to control the law and order situation in the state. He also asserted the Centre had the right to summon state IPS officers responsible for providing him security for central deputation. “The Centre is well within its rights to send a letter (summoning IPS officers for central deputation) to state government … if they have any doubt they can go through the rule book,” Shah said. (With inputs from PTI)

source https://bbcbreakingnews.com/2020/12/20/mamata-di-to-defeat-you-amit-shah-slams-tmcs-outsider-jibe/

[townpostin]

Jharkhand Ruling Party Protests BJP MP's Union Territory Proposal

JMM opposes Nishikant Dubey’s call to merge parts of Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Bihar The ruling JMM party in Jharkhand protested against BJP MP Nishikant Dubey’s proposal to create a new Union Territory from parts of three states. RANCHI – The ruling JMM party of Jharkhand held a demonstration outside the Assembly in Ranchi to protest the proposal of BJP MP Nishikant Dubey to establish a Union…

[jobaaj]

ALERT: Major update on the CAA front! Its rules could come in next month!! The Citizenship Amendment Act of 2019 (CAA) aimed to amend the Citizenship Act of 1955 by providing citizenship to individuals belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian communities who migrated from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, predominantly Muslim-majority states, before December 31st, 2014.

The implementation of the Act sparked extensive protests across various regions, resulting in more than 50 fatalities. Residents of the North-Eastern states expressed concerns over the potential demographic changes caused by accommodating these migrants, while states not affiliated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticized the legislation as discriminatory against Muslims and contradictory to India's secular constitution.

The BJP government had claimed that the bill sought to protect religious minorities that were religiously persecuted in these countries and not against Muslims but against illegal infiltrators. According to latest reports, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is expected to notify the rules of implementing the rules of CAA before the MCC rules of the Lok Sabha elections are announced!! What do you think? Is CAA trying to divide the country? Or is it genuinely trying to protect religious minorities? Should Muslims be included in the list?? Follow Jobaaj Stories (the media arm of Jobaaj.com Group) for more.

[isayeed-blog]

Peter Pans take over in India

The de facto takeover of the countermajoritarian institution in Bangladesh, the Supreme Court, by the executive has its counterpart across the border in India, where the transition to majoritarianism in the highest judiciary has seen less drama and more stealth. 

The saga begins in the state of Assam: Goroimari is hotter than Prague, without cobbled squares but with pendant palms and mangoes, yet, to The Economist journalist, “Franz Kafka would have felt quite at home in Assam (“Madness in the hills: India is declaring millions of its citizens to be foreigners”). The subtitle tells the story: “The unlucky victims must then prove the opposite in special courts”.

Assam has been compiling a National Register for Citizens (NRC) since 2016. The aim is to sort pukka Indians from Bangladeshi (read “Muslim”) intruders. The 33m people of the state, mostly poor and illiterate, must prove to bureaucrats that they are citizens. The deadline is July 31st, and after that cases move to the Foreigners’ Tribunals, special parallel courts with no right of appeal - a curious dead-end for a democracy where every aggrieved citizen can appeal to the Supreme Court. 

But the bureaucracy, manned by Assamese chauvinists aligned with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which rules both the state and the country, has every motive to reject as many cases as possible. The BJP wants to extend the NRC and Foreigners’ Tribunals to the rest of India. India’s Muslims, comprising 13% of its 1.3 billion people, are scared. 

“With Assamese chauvinists repeatedly asserting that 5m or even 8m “infiltrators” have invaded their state, right-wing politicians have scented the possibility of erasing much of the typically left-leaning Muslim “vote bank” from the rolls. They are substantiating the baseless estimates by declaring millions to be “foreigners”.”

No less a body than the Supreme Court had authorised anonymous individuals to “denounce” foreigners, without revealing their identity. In Goroimari alone, a small number of objectors, as they are known, all believed linked to Assamese nativist groups, managed access to a local NRC database and penned 30,000 objection certificates. Across Assam, around 220,000 such letters were filed before a May deadline.

In “Intolerant India: Narendra Modi stokes divisions in the world’s biggest democracy”, the newspaper accuses Narendra Modi, the prime minister, of trying to build a Hindu state, to the alarm of its 200m Muslims. 

In December 2019, the government changed a law to make it easier for observers of all religions to acquire citizenship - except Muslims. Plans were afoot to register all 1.3b citizens. But many Muslims don’t have the papers to prove they’re citizens, so risk being made stateless. Camps are being built as detention places. 

“In fact, the scheme looks like the most ambitious step yet in a decades-long project of incitement. The BJP first rose to national prominence by agitating for the demolition of a mosque in the city of Ayodhya, to make way for a temple to Ram, a Hindu deity. The destruction of the mosque in 1992 by a mob of Hindu extremists, followed by deadly riots, only propelled the party’s ascent. Likewise, a massacre of Muslims in the state of Gujarat in 2002, when Mr Modi was chief minister, made him a hero to Hindu nationalists around the country.”

Morally challenged Peter Pans voted the BJP into power, certainly not an historical first. 

But the tyrannized individual should, in theory, be able to look to the countermajoritarian Supreme Court for succour. In November, India’s Supreme Court affirmed the right of Hindus to take over the site at Ayodhya. “But the ruling involved such a glaring legal sleight of hand that it marked another shift away from equality between India’s faiths.” 

At any rate, the resolution of the Ayodhya dispute stole the BJP’s thunder - other noxious causes had to be authored for the Peter Pans. “The sad truth is that Mr Modi and the BJP are likely to benefit politically by creating divisions over religion and national identity.” As Brennan observed, democracy makes us civic enemies. 

The Supreme Court declined to suspend the citizenship law.

“First the mob, then the law” runs the - apposite - headline. “Judges who decry anti-Muslim bias find themselves overruled or transferred.”

The article refers to the riot in Delhi in February 2020 in which 53 people died, bringing the total dead to 80 after Narendra Modi changed the law on citizenship. “And although it is Muslims, both protesters and bystanders, who have borne the brunt of the violence and vandalism, the government, the agencies of the state and much of the press have persisted in blaming the victims.”

However, a judge in Mangaluru, in the southern state of Karnataka, granted bail to 21 Muslim men charged with joining a riot. He condemned the police for fabricating evidence. The police had also failed to file a single case in the riots in December following the discriminatory law, despite eyewitness accounts of how the police themselves had shot dead two people. He concluded that there had been “a deliberate attempt to cover up police excesses”. 

“Two weeks later, in much more typical fashion, the Supreme Court struck down the ruling, sending the men back to prison.”

In a similar case, out of many, a court in Karnataka rejected a plea for bail by three students accused of sedition for singing “Long Live Pakistan” in a Facebook video. Legal precedent requires that the alleged perpetrators of sedition directly instigate violence against the state, yet the judge found it sufficient that they had “created unhealthy atmosphere”. 

In the most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, where the police were repeatedly filmed vandalising private property during protests, the state, instead of charging the officers involved, is trying the lawyers and human rights activists for damaging private property. The police even erected giant billboards with the pictures, names and addresses of those from whom it was seeking damages. When the High Court ordered a stop to this public hounding, the state government, run by the BJP, appealed to the Supreme Court. “It is likely to get a sympathetic hearing.”

During the riots in Delhi, it was only subsequent to a High Court order to help evacuate wounded people to hospital that the 80,000-strong police force began to intervene, after 48 hours of arson and murder. With plentiful footage of BJP members calling for protesters to be shot, the same bench also ordered police to register cases against members of the BJP for hate speech,  which they had refused to do, despite the evidence. 

“Hours later the Supreme Court transferred one of the troublesome judges out of Delhi. The next day the high court postponed all hearings about hate speech to April.”

The worst suspicions were confirmed in March when Ranjan Gogoi took oath as a new member of the Rajya Sabha, India’s upper house. Opposition MPs staged a boycott amid cries of “shame”. Mr. Gogoi had recently retired as Chief Justice. Critics of the BJP claim that his seat is a pay-off for rulings that favoured the government. 

[xtruss]

ARGUMENT

India’s Muslims Are Terrified of Being Deported

Many Indians lack the documents needed to prove citizenship—and Muslims are in the firing line.

— BY Puja Changoiwala | Foreign Policy | February 21, 2020

demonstrator holds a placard during a protest organized by various Muslim organizations and opposition parties against India's new citizenship law in Chennai on Feb. 19.

Firoza Bano, 50, sat worried in her home in the northern Indian city of Jaipur. Born in the north Indian state of Rajasthan in 1970, she has barely traveled outside the state—but now she faces the possibility of being kicked out of her home country. The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the proposed all-India National Register of Citizens (NRC) will require Bano to prove she’s Indian. If she’s unable to produce the requisite documents, she might lose her citizenship and be declared an infiltrator. At best, she might spend months in one of the detention centers being built across the country to house the newly created refugees—at worst, she could be deported to a country she’s never known or be left stateless.

“My mother gave birth to me at home. My birth was never registered, so how do I produce a certificate?” Bano said. “Nor do I have land ownership or tenancy records dating back five decades. Although we’re law-abiding citizens, having lived peacefully in India all our lives, we might be thrown out of the country.”

Last December, India passed the CAA, which provides a route to citizenship to members of six religious minority communities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan—but not for Muslims. Coupled with the NRC, a supposedly definitive list of Indian citizens, the provision is facing criticism for being anti-Muslim and unconstitutional. A similar list in Assam has already been used to single out Indian-born Muslims for potential deportation. And while members of other faiths now have the shield of the CAA as a route back into Indian citizenship if they’re branded as illegal by the NRC process, Muslims have no such respite.

That’s a big problem. Even today, 38 percent of Indian children under the age of 5 do not have birth certificates.Even today, 38 percent of Indian children under the age of 5 do not have birth certificates. Other documents can substitute, but they’re also often lacking—especially for older people. The reasons for this are varied—lack of awareness, inaccessible registration centers, and no immediate requirement for these certificates to access social services. Government data shows that 6.8 million births were not registered in India in 2015-2016, and the situation is worse for older residents, who were born when home births were more prevalent in the country.

There’s a gulf between government rhetoric on the NRC and what critics believe—but the record of an increasingly hard-right Hindu nationalist government under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) makes the government’s word seem dubious at best. There has been a systematic scapegoating of Muslims under BJP rule. Human Rights Watch published a report in 2019, observing that the party uses “communal rhetoric” to spur “a violent vigilante campaign,” whereby radical cow protection groups lynched 44 people to death, 36 of them Muslims, between May 2015 and December 2018. Prior to its landslide win in the 2019 elections, the BJP also used religious polarization as a campaigning tool, making promises such as the expedited construction of a temple in place of a demolished mosque in Ayodhya.

After the CAA bill was signed into law, widespread protests erupted across the country, killing 25 people so far and leaving thousands in police detention. The government has downplayed the NRC, stating that it has no plans of conducting the NRC exercise across the country on religious lines.

That comes despite regular rhetoric from the BJP on supposed infiltrators from Muslim countries. In the state of West Bengal, for instance, BJP chief Dilip Ghosh recently stated that the center was committed to “throwing out” 10 million Bangladeshi Muslim “infiltrators” from the state and that those opposing the move were “anti-Hindu, anti-Bengali and anti-India.”

Addressing a huge election rally in New Delhi on Dec. 22, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the CAA/NRC had nothing to do with Indian Muslims and that “no Indian Muslims will be sent to any detention centers.” The speech was accused of being a “combination of falsehoods and half-truths.” Critics have called the CAA/NRC the “greatest act of social poisoning by a government in independent India,” aimed at making the country a Hindu state and turning a large number of Muslims into stateless subjects.

Zakia Soman, a co-founder of Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA), a nationwide rights organization for Muslims, said the “diabolical” developments have led to great apprehension in the Muslim community, which makes up 14.2 percent of the Indian population. Many Muslims have approached BMMA to understand and prepare for the repercussions. The organization has launched posters raising awareness and community meetings in 15 states across the country.

“Since CAA is so discriminatory, it has given way to fear that even if people have their documents in place, they will be left out of NRC. Ordinary people think, and not without substance, that this is an attempt to rob them of their citizenship,” Soman said.

Rais Shaikh, a member of the legislative assembly in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, said the CAA-NRC combination has created panic across the community. “I have had 75-year-old men and women approaching me, asking for help with documents,” he said. “At least 500 people visit my office every day, expressing similar concerns. Most of them are now running around to ready their documents, approaching lawyers and agents. They’re scared of being stripped of their citizenship.”

The northeastern state of Assam is the only Indian state to have an NRC, first prepared in 1951 and updated in 2019. Assam’s 33 million residents had to substantiate their citizenship through documents, proving that they came to India before neighboring Bangladesh became an independent country in 1971. The final list, published in August 2019, left 1.9 million applications out. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom subsequently alleged that the Assam NRC was a tool to “target religious minorities and … to render Muslims stateless.” The detention centers have already been constructed there.

“Even Today, 38 Percent of Indian Childern Under the Age of Five Do Not Have Birth Certificate!”

With Assam as the precedent, the Muslim community fears persecution. Maulana Khalid Rasheed, the head of the Islamic Centre of India in the northern Indian city of Lucknow, started a helpline two weeks ago to quell fears and create awareness among the community. He receives at least 150 calls daily from Muslims worried about their expulsion from the country due to an absence of documents and legacy data.

“Through the helpline, we inform them about the documents they will need to prove their citizenship. During the Assam NRC, many were excluded owing to deficiencies in documents like spelling errors. We tell them to ensure their papers are free of similar mistakes,” Rasheed said. “Everyone is scared, especially the poor.”

Nishat Hussain, the founder of the National Muslim Women Welfare Society in Jaipur, said many Muslims are apprehensive of the future and have joined protest marches to oppose the controversial CAA/NRC. She said many Muslims do have the basic, essential documents, such as passports and Aadhar cards, which have unique 12-digit identification numbers for Indian citizens. However, these might not be enough.

“In Assam, many were left out of the NRC despite having these documents,” Hussain said. “They want decades-old documents, which are impossible to find.”

To help Muslims, the Karnataka State Board of Auqaf, a statutory body in southwestern India, has recently issued a circular to mosques, citing a need to prepare family profiles of all Muslims residing in their jurisdiction. It also calls on mosques to maintain registers with important documents of all Muslims, including birth and education certificates, voter ID cards, and ration cards, among others.

The circular notes: “Controversies are reported regarding the inclusion and exclusion of names in the NRC. Recent survey conducted by various NGOs reveal that larger section of citizens of the minority community are deprived of the right to vote due to non-enrolment/updation in electoral rolls of various constituencies. Substantial number of citizens do not have the basic documents to prove their domicile in the locality.”

A.B. Ibrahim, the then-administrator of the board, said it is necessary for mosques to maintain a register of documents as the data of citizens in government offices can be misplaced or destroyed due to natural calamities and unforeseen incidents. “Many lost their documents during the Karnataka floods in August 2019,” he said.

For the Muslim citizens on the front line of the issue, however, no preparation seems enough. Naseem Qureshi, a 24-year-old woman from Rajasthan, said she’s afraid she’ll lose her loved ones to the CAA/NRC exercise. “My parents tell me that we have our papers in place, but many of my close friends and relatives don’t. What if they throw them out of the country?” Qureshi said. “They’re looking to split families.”

Puja Changoiwala is an award-winning Indian journalist and author. She writes about the intersections of gender, crime, social justice, development, and human rights in India. Twitter: @cpuja

[bigyack-com]

Paswan defends CAA, NPR but feels protesters have a right to express themselves - india news

Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Monday sought to dispel misgivings about the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Population Register but underscored that the Constitution guaranteed “right to freedom of expression” which ought to be respected while dealing with protests.Paswan also claimed that it was at his instance that the Union Home Ministry agreed to “amend” the NPR forms wherein columns like those pertaining to places of birth of parents had triggered fears that the exercise might be a precursor to the National Register of Citizens (NRC).“Even I do not know my date of birth. Do I cease to become a citizen on that account? I had told the Home Ministry that these things will cause confusion. Now the ministry has amended the forms”, he told reporters here.ALSO WATCH | ‘Can’t do terror politics; have suggested modifications in CAA’: Chandra BoseNotably, the Union Home Ministry had recently stated that people could “skip” the aforementioned columns after a request to the effect was made by many states, not ruled by the BJP, that these be “dropped”.The Union Minister, who holds Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution System portfolio, however sought to allay fears that people not possessing required documents could lose their citizenship and Muslims whom the CAA allegedly discriminates against would suffer the most.“No government can dare to snatch away any persons citizenship. It will lead to an upheaval. Any regime which seeks to do so will be torn apart by the media. This is simply not possible”, he said.However, he added “we owe our rise in politics to the 1974 students movement. Now, students, the youth have their own sentiments. We cannot do much about that. But it is true that the police often goes overboard in enforcing rule of law”, said Paswan, who is the founder of Lok Janshakti Party an NDA constituent.“I do not hold an uncharitable view of the protests in Jamia Milia Islamia or JNU. People associated with these do keep meeting me over issues. We have cut our political teeth with freedom of speech and restraint in action as a cardinal principle.“All these protesters including the women of Shaheen Bagh they all enjoy the right to freedom of expression”, Paswan added.Notably, the BJP the mightiest constituent of the NDA - has adopted a belligerent stance against the country-wide protests with top leaders like Union Home Minister Amit Shah dubbing these as a “conspiracy” hatched by those aiming at “disintegration” of the country.The LJP founder, however, sought to defend the CAA, which seeks to fast-track grant of citizenship to non-Muslim refugees, who might have landed on the Indian soil by the year 2014, from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.“Unlike India, which is not a Hindu state, the three countries are Islamic republics. The Act aims at granting citizenship to refugees, as distinct from infiltrators, who may have fled because of religious persecution”, he said.Asked about the rationale behind leaving out Muslims, Paswan said “it is not that doors of Indian citizenship have been slammed shut on Muslims from any country. But when the Amendment sought to help minorities in three Islamic countries, Muslims could not have been brought under its ambit”.The LJP leader who was previously with the UPA sought to know “why did the Congress not raise objections while in power if it really has so much of a problem with NPR? “Why did it preside over a similar exercise in 2010? And the CAA has come into force after being passed by both Houses of the Parliament, with us (NDA) not having a majority in the Rajya Sabha. In this backdrop, the noise by the opposition parties leaves me bewildered? he asked. Read the full article

[tumbirus]

"Sathyameva Jayathe" many later,but true win to in this world. One report; The remarks of BJP west Bengal president Filip Ghosh justifying the killing of some of those protesting against the citizenship ( Amendment) Act triggers an outrage on Monday Leaders of his own party called them" irresponsible ". " see our government in Assam,Utter Pradesh and Karnataka has shot them( the protesters) like dogs,put them behind bars and also filed cases against them" Mr:Gosh is heard saying in a video.Continuing his argument that"infiltrators" should be treated with raw power,he treated with raw power,he added,"They will come here,eat,stay,and then destroy property. Do they think this is their zamindar? We will hit them with sticks,shoot them and also sent them to jail". Mr: Gosh made the remark at a party meeting in Nadia district on Sunday evening. The video,which was not verified, surfaced on Monday.In his speech,he also questioned why there was" neither baton_charge,not firing,not any FIR filled aganist protesters in west Bengal". Dears,Mr:Gosh words proof to truth,NRC /CAB name violence making one is BJP and RSS leaders( Noted the point to Indian and world justice) so Modi and Shah Gujarth same criminal thinking is all,notorious criminal shah is,real Indian Rajya DROHi politician name criminal also,Indian Jadge murder case accused,Nasik unders,RSS support joint kill to have life.why Gujarth innocent humans ,encounter or rape making case true justify one judges truth or life band or lose to shah,how is it union mister is this therd right criminal in India,which public belief to minister name this ones activities. So criminal ,terrorist making minister and MP,s in India,our great Indians value ,how Cheep making to this modi.? by Ioll world wide. (at मुंबई Mumbai) https://www.instagram.com/p/B7Ts7ZXFfaR/?igshid=gajdyz69i6gk

[sharmaheena850]

Elections 2019: In Assam, Prafulla Mahanta finds himself at the crossroads

The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) is split but not fully out because Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, its founder and leader (until recently), stands isolated as the party is back with the Bharatiya Janata Party in Assam after a brief ‘estrangement’ to Mahanta’s surprise and disapproval. He turned to small regional outfits on the political periphery to support him but interestingly, even the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), of which he was once the spearhead, was indifferent to his appeal.

The trigger for Mahanta’s dissent was the AGP’s decision last week to return to the National Democratic Alliance and contest the Lok Sabha polls together after “walking out” of the coalition last January to protest the BJP’s doggedness to pass the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, in Parliament. Eventually, the Centre put it aside, after the entire north-east rose up in arms because the proposed law would have legalised the citizenship rights of foreigners of every religious denomination living in these states, barring Muslims. To the AGP--whose progenitor, the AASU, led one of independent India’s long-drawn agitation against ‘illegal infiltrators’ from Bangladesh who were domiciled and given voting rights in Assam--the amendment was an abomination because the AASU never recognised ‘infiltrators’ as Hindus and Muslims.

Three AGP ministers in the BJP-led government, Atul Bora, Keshab Mahanta and Phani Bhushan Choudhary, put in their papers in “protest”. However, reliable BJP sources said the “understanding” was the BJP would pound away the bill for a while to disseminate a “larger” political message the country over and put it aside expediently. Until such time, its leaders counselled the AGP to stay out of the government. Read More

Article Source -> Business Standard

[bbcbreakingnews]

BJP seems to be branding supporters of farmers as Naxalites: NCP

MUMBAI: The ruling NCP in Maharashtra on Monday alleged the BJP “somewhere” wanted to brand those who raise their voice in support of the poor and farmers as “Naxalites or terrorists”. In a video message, state minister and NCP’s national spokesperson Nawab Malik alleged leaders of the BJP have been using terms like “Naxalites, urban naxals and Khalistanis” and are also claiming the hand of China and Pakistan in connection with the ongoing protests by farmers for a repeal of three agri laws. “It shows the BJP somewhere wants to term those who raise their voice for the poor, farmers and workers and fight battle against injustice as Naxalites or terrorists. This is not happening for the first time. The BJP is a party of the rich which wants to stand with traders. This has been the history of the BJP,” he alleged. Malik said that branding the poor, farmers and workers in such a way is a “dangerous tactic” being adopted by the BJP. The Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) shares power in Maharashtra with the Shiv Sena and Congress. Recently, Union Minister Piyush Goyal had said the agitation no longer remains a farmers’ movement as it has been “infiltrated by Leftist and Maoist elements” demanding the release of those put behind bars for “anti-national activities”. This, he had said, was clearly to derail agriculture reforms brought by the government. Another Union minister and Maharashtra BJP leader Raosaheb Danve had kicked up a row saying that China and Pakistan were behind the protests of cultivators, inviting sharp reactions from various quarters.

source https://bbcbreakingnews.com/2020/12/14/bjp-seems-to-be-branding-supporters-of-farmers-as-naxalites-ncp/

[ericfruits]

India’s government is intensifying a failed strategy in Kashmir

GUNS HAVE slipped back into holsters and diplomats behind their desks; the Samjhauta or “Concord” Express has resumed its reassuring bi-weekly chug connecting Lahore Junction and Old Delhi Station. Relations between India and Pakistan are returning to the normal huffy disdain after a week of military brinkmanship. For the divided and disputed border region of Kashmir, there is relief. Yet in the Kashmir Valley, a fertile and densely populated part of the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir, this comes tempered with weariness. For its 7m inhabitants, most of them Muslim, a return to normal means a large and growing pile of frustrations. Some, such as bad government services and a deepening shortage of jobs, are familiar to all Indians. Others are unique to the valley.

Pakistan views the valley’s Muslims as sundered citizens; its constitution prescribes what should happen not if, but “when”, Kashmiris vote to join Pakistan. And since independence in 1947, Pakistan has never ceased trying to hasten this moment by sending guerrillas over the border to stir up jihad—although this week it claimed to rounding up such militants. India, for its part, says that Kashmir was lucky to fall to a secular, democratic country at partition and not to its violent, narrow-minded neighbour. But Indian governments turn deaf the moment people in the valley speak of greater autonomy, let alone azadi (independence). Their efforts at counter-insurgency have been disturbingly bloody. The conflict has claimed 50,000 lives since the 1980s.

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The deafness has been especially pronounced of late. When Narendra Modi came to power in India in 2014, violence in the valley was near its lowest level in a quarter century. Perhaps jihadist action would have risen again anyway, but government policies plainly have not helped. Senior officials have called for the scrapping of constitutional clauses that grant the government of Jammu & Kashmir a few more powers than those of other states. Security forces have become even more heavy-handed. They use shotguns to suppress angry crowds, thereby blinding many protesters with metal pellets. An army officer who kidnapped a civilian and strapped him to a jeep as a human shield was not punished, but lauded and promoted.

Many Kashmiris were further alienated when Mr Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had swept polls in Jammu, the largely Hindu part of the state, first joined in an opportunistic coalition government with a pro-independence party and then abruptly quit. This allowed Mr Modi to impose direct rule from Delhi. Those who had derided Indian democracy as a sham seemed vindicated.

Infiltration from Pakistan has been rife. In the words of Shivshankar Menon, a former Indian national security adviser, “When they think you are in trouble in Jammu & Kashmir, their temptation is to stir up that trouble.” Violence began to mount, and with it the intensity of the government’s response. When guerrillas hole up in villages, the security services tend to blitz their hideouts. Bystanders are often injured in the crossfire and their property destroyed. A growing proportion of the insurgents are local, even college-educated Kashmiris, not from across the border. Huge crowds gather at their funerals.

It was a local recruit of a group based in Pakistan who drove a bomb-packed minivan into a convoy of Indian police in the valley in mid-February, killing 40 and initiating the face-off with Pakistan. In response, online agitators and even BJP officials goaded mobs around India to attack Kashmiris. Omair Ahmad, an Indian writer, despairingly remarks, “The Indian right has always seen Kashmir as our Kosovo: a land to be loved, a people to be hated.”

In recent weeks Mr Modi’s government has escalated the repression in the valley, bringing in extra troops, rounding up non-violent activists and banning a moderate Islamic group that runs scores of schools, employing some 10,000 teachers. It has cut government advertising in local newspapers, their main source of revenue. Curfews and internet shutdowns have intensified. Senior officials speak, alarmingly, of the need to “instil India” in locals.

This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline "Nadir in the valley"

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[realtimeslive]

Trinamool Congress patronising infiltration, alleges Amit Shah

Trinamool Congress patronising infiltration, alleges Amit Shah

BJP president Amit Shah said in Kolkata on Saturday that no matter “however hard Mamata Banerjee tries,” she cannot stop the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise in Assam and the government would ensure that the process wascompleted in a judicious manner.

Mr. Shah, who was addressing a rally of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), accused the Trinamool Congress chairperson of creating…