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“Don’t bring Assam into a bad light”: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma urges Rahul Gandhi

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ANI
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rahul gandhi bharat jodo nyay yatra assam
"Don't bring Assam into a bad light": Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma urges Rahul Gandhi 2

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday urged Congress leader Rahil Gandhi to refrain from visiting Batadrava Satra on Monday during the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony of the Ram Temple as it will bring “Assam into a bad light.” He said that “there should not be any competition between Ram Temple and Batadrava.”

“Satra Samitee hasn’t invited Rahul Gandhi. In the evening, you can go but don’t bring Assam into a bad light,” he added. “He can go to Batadrava after 2 pm or in the morning hours. I feel if he does not got to Batadrava during those 2-3 hours during the Pran Pratishtha event will be good”, said Sarma.

“Batadrava Satra has not invited him, he has not been invited. There is no competition. I appeal to him to visit Batadrava Than after 2 pm. He can also visit the birthplace of Mahapurush Sankardeva at Batadrava today. I am feeling a little bit of pain for the selection of tomorrow’s date,” CM Sarma said. Notably, Than Management Committee on Sunday allowed Congress MP Rahul Gandhi to enter Batadrava Than in Assam tomorrow, after Ayodhya Ram Mandir’s Pranpratistha.

Than Management Committee said, “Tomorrow is the Pranpratishtha of Ram Temple and many devotees will come to the Than. Apart from this, many programmes have been organised outside the Than premises where thousands of devotees will gather. For that reason, Rahul Gandhi’s visit programme will be after 3 pm and it has been decided in the meeting.” Launching a blistering attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said that earlier Rahul was afraid of me, but now he has started fearing my child too (Rahul Gandhi pehle toh mujhse darta tha, ab mere bacche se bhi darna shuru kar diya).

Addressing a press conference in Guwahati, Assam CM said, “Rahul Gandhi pehle toh mujhse darta tha, ab mere bacche se bhi darna shuru kar diya. I also want to appeal to Rahul Gandhi to visit Batadrava Satra tomorrow after the Pran Pratishtha of the Ram Temple. After crossing Guwahati, Muslims will join the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, but Muslim women will not join him. Why did Rahul Gandhi choose Morigaon district tomorrow? He should avoid Morigaon, Jagiroad area, which is sensitive due to the Nellie massacre.” Nellie massacre took place in 1983 in the backdrop of tension between the Centre and Assam students’ outfits over the deletion of ‘foreigners’ from electoral rolls.

He further informed that all educational institutions, including government schools, will remain closed for the entire day. “All educational institutions, including government schools, colleges, and universities, will remain closed for the entire day tomorrow. I also appeal to the private educational institutions to remain closed tomorrow. People of Assam, including MLAs, have participated in the Swachhta Abhiyan in many religious places, including temples, mosques, and churches,” CM Himanta said.

In a press conference, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma also added that tomorrow will be a dry day in Assam on the occasion of the Pran Pratishtha programme, and no restaurants will be allowed to serve non-vegetarian food up to 2 pm. “Meat or fish shops cannot open before 4 pm. However, after 4 pm, they can do their business,” he added.

“This is a triumph of the ‘Bharatiya Civilization’. I, on behalf of the people of Assam, congratulate Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Prime Minister appeals to the people to light Diya in their homes and I also appeal to the people of Assam to light Diya in front of their homes. I appeal to the Aai-Matri to perform Naam Kirtan in Namghars after the Pran Pratishtha. I also appeal to all (Muslim, Christian) to conduct special prayer,” he added.

Manoj Jarange’s protest march to Mumbai over Maratha quota issue begins; vows to fight till ‘last breath’

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PTI
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maratha reservation, manoj jarange ptil, jarange, maratha, beed, mumbai
Manoj Jarange's protest march to Mumbai over Maratha quota issue begins; vows to fight till 'last breath' 4

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange along with thousands of others on Saturday embarked on a protest march from Maharashtra’s Jalna district to Mumbai to draw the state government’s attention to the demand for reservation to his community.

Speaking to reporters before beginning the march, Jarange lambasted the government for its ”cruel and insensitive” attitude and failure to resolve the Maratha reservation issue, and vowed to continue the fight till his last breath. The protest march began from Jarange’s native Antarwali Sarati village around 11 am. ”The Maratha community gave seven months to the government to provide reservation, but no action was taken all this while,” he told reporters. ”I will continue the protest till my last breath. I won’t relent till the demand for reservation is met,” said an emotional Jarange. He slammed the state government and ministers as he cited the ”alarming rise” in suicide by Maratha youths.

”Maratha youths are ending their lives over the issue of reservation, but the government remains unmoved. How can the government be so insensitive and cruel and just watch Maratha youths commit suicides?” he asked. He narrated an incident wherein a man from the Maratha community hailing from Paithan in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district told him that his only son ended life for the cause of reservation.

Jarange said he would consult with the community members whether to start fasting on the way to Mumbai or after reaching the Maharashtra capital.

The protest march led by Jarange is likely to reach Mumbai on January 25. The distance between Antarwali Sarati village and Mumbai is more than 400 kms. Thousands of members from the Maratha community are accompanying Jarange during the protest. The protesters will walk for a few hours everyday and also use vehicles. From January 26, Jarange is scheduled to begin his hunger strike over the quota issue.

Kerala court convicts 15 former PFI workers in BJP leader Ranjith Sreenivasan’s murder

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Afternoon Voice
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Ranjith Sreenivasan, bjp, kerala
Kerala court convicts 15 former PFI workers in BJP leader Ranjith Sreenivasan's murder 6

All 15 accused in the murder of BJP leader Ranjith Srinivasan in Alappuzha in December 2021 were found guilty by the court on Saturday. The Additional Sessions Court on Saturday convicted 15 SDPI (Social Democratic Party of India) – PFI (Popular Front of India) workers for the murder of BJP leader Ranjith Sreenivasan in Alappuzha.

The quantum of punishment will be pronounced on Monday. The first eight accused, namely Nizam, Ajmal, Anoop, Muhammad Aslam, Salam Ponnad, Abdul Salam, Safaruddin and Manshad, were found guilty of murder.

The verdict was delivered by the Additional District Sessions Court I, Mavelikkara. Ranjith Sreenivasan, the BJP OBC Morcha state secretary, was brutally attacked and killed in his home on December 19, 2021, in front of his family, allegedly by activists affiliated with the PFI and the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI).

Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra banners vandalised in Assam’s North Lakhimpur town: Congress

By
PTI
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Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra banners vandalised assam
Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra banners vandalised in Assam's North Lakhimpur town: Congress 8

The Congress alleged that banners and posters welcoming its ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ to Assam’s North Lakhimpur town, through which it will pass on Saturday, have been vandalised.

The Yatra, led by Rahul Gandhi, is on its third day’s journey in the state and will pass through several parts of Lakhimpur district, including the headquarters town North Lakhimpur, before entering Arunachal Pradesh later in the day.

Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) leader Bharat Narah alleged that most of the banners, posters and hoardings within the North Lakhimpur town area were damaged on Friday night.

”Alarmed at the success of the Yatra, all hoardings and posters have been torn down by miscreants…. ”, he said.

”Never in the political history of Assam had we witnessed rival political parties damaging banners and posters of the other parties,” the former minister and MLA, who represents Naoboicha constituency in the state Assembly said.

Narah, who heads the media committee of APCC, also alleged that the BJP-led state government has been creating hurdles for the Yatra, including trying to prevent people from participating in it.

”We have reports that batteries of boats were removed. Fuel depots have run dry to ensure that people cannot come with their vehicles,” he said.

”But we want to tell them that nothing can prevent the success of the Yatra,” the Congress leader asserted.

The party also shared a video of miscreants purportedly tearing down posters with Congress leaders’ photos in North Lakhimpur town at night…

The veracity of the video could not be independently verified by PTI.

All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Jairam Ramesh, at a press conference in Majuli on Friday, had claimed that the party’s first Bharat Jodo Yatra from south to north had not faced as many problems while passing through BJP-ruled states as the second one is encountering in Assam.

”The first Bharat Jodo Yatra did not face so many difficulties even when passing through BJP-ruled states. The amount of difficulties we have faced in Assam in these two days, we have not faced anywhere,” he claimed.

”It is for the first time that within 24 hours, the CM has been rattled. We are being threatened with FIR and imprisonment. People are being prevented from joining the Yatra,” Ramesh, who is accompanying Gandhi in the Yatra, added.

The first Yatra, also led by Gandhi, had travelled from Kanyakumari to Kashmir in 2022-23.

The Nyay Yatra, being conducted on bus and foot, is scheduled to cover 6,713 km in 67 days, passing through 110 districts in 15 states.

It will travel through Assam till January 25, travelling a total of 833 km across 17 districts.

MP poll drubbing: Congress serves notices to 150 leaders for ‘anti-party’ activities

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PTI
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congress, rahul gandhi, madhya pradesh, mp cong, congress madhya pradesh
MP poll drubbing: Congress serves notices to 150 leaders for 'anti-party' activities 10

The Madhya Pradesh Congress’s disciplinary committee has issued show cause notices to nearly 150 local leaders for allegedly engaging in ”anti-party” activities during the November 2023 state assembly polls.

The committee issued the notices on Friday, giving the leaders 10 days to respond, failing which strict action including expulsion from the party would be initiated, according to a senior party functionary.

This move by the Congress comes after the assembly poll results in which the party managed to win just 66 seats in the 230-member House.

It is also seen as a part of the party’s efforts to reorganise before the general elections, signalling a zero-tolerance policy towards internal sabotage and indiscipline.

The stern stance from the Congress comes following numerous complaints from the majority of the 164 nominees who lost in the polls, attributing their defeat to ”internal sabotage.” The notices were issued after a meeting of the state Congress’s disciplinary committee on Friday.

In a press release, the disciplinary committee chief and MPCC treasurer Ashok Singh warned that the party will consider taking action against those who engaged in ”anti-party” activities.

”If we don’t get satisfactory explanation from those who had been served notices, we are going to expel them,” a senior Congress functionary told PTI.

At the disciplinary committee’s meeting, its members endorsed the decision to show the door to party rebels who contested the assembly polls. The Congress has expelled a number of rebels who defied leadership and fought against official candidates.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept the assembly elections by winning 163 seats.

Bilkis Bano case: SC dismisses plea by convicts seeking extension of time to surrender

By
ANI
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bilkis bano, convicts, sc, supreme court, bilkis bano case, gujarat, godra
Bilkis Bano case: SC dismisses plea by convicts seeking extension of time to surrender 12

The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a plea by 11 convicts in the case of gangrape of Bilkis Bano and the murder of seven of her family members during the 2002 riots in Gujarat seeking an extension of time to surrender.

A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan said the reasons cited by the convicts have no merits.

”We have heard senior counsel and counsel for the applicants and the counsel for the non-applicants also. The reasons cited by applicants to seek postponement of surrender and report back to jail have no merit inasmuch as those reasons in no way prevent them from complying with our directions. Hence the miscellaneous applications are dismissed,” the bench said.

The top court on January 8 had quashed the Gujarat government’s decision to grant remission to 11 convicts in the case, saying the orders were ”stereotyped” and passed without application of mind.

It had asked the convicts to surrender before jail authorities by January 21.

“You are Adivasis, BJP calls you Vanvasis”: Rahul Gandhi at Majuli

By
ANI
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rahul gandhi, gandhi, adivasis, Majuli
"You are Adivasis, BJP calls you Vanvasis": Rahul Gandhi at Majuli 14

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, who is in Assam’s Majuli on his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, said that while his party refers to tribals as ‘Adivasis’, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) limits them to being just ‘Vanvasis’. Explaining the difference between the two, Rahul Gandhi said, “We call you Adivasi; they call you Vanvasi. Do you know the difference between the two? Adivasi means the first citizens, those who have come to the earth first. Vanvasi means those who stay in the forest.”

Rahul Gandhi said that while the BJP wants them to stay in the jungle and deprive their children of going to colleges and universities, the Congress wants to give back what has been wrongfully taken from them. “BJP wants you to stay in the jungle. They do not want your children to go to colleges and universities, not to learn English, not to run businesses. We want to give back what has been taken from you. Your land, forest and water should be given back to you. This is why we brought upon laws and tribal bills to give back what is yours,” Rahul Gandhi said.

The Congress leader said despite a civil war-like situation in Manipur for months, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not yet visited the state. “We started the Yatra from Manipur. The BJP has burnt down Manipur. For months a civil war like situation is going on in Manipur. People are killing each other and till today the Prime Minister has not visited Manipur,” Rahul Gandhi said.

Speaking about the failure to bring about the Naga Accord by the BJP government, Rahul Gandhi said, “In Nagaland, where we were yesterday, the Prime Minister had promised to bring about the Accord nine years back but he did not keep his word.” “And here, you have India’s most corrupt Chief Minister,” he added referring to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi, rolled into Assam on Thursday. On the sixth day of his Yatra, Rahul crossed the Brahmaputra river by boat and headed for Majuli, an island in Assam, on Friday. The party shared an image of Rahul, flanked by fellow Congress leaders and workers, sailing on a boat across the Brahmaputra on Friday.

Meanwhile, the Jorhat Police registered a case against a few people associated with the Congress’s ongoing Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra for alleged deviation from its original route. 

PMLA case: ED moves Delhi HC against order granting interim bail to Supertech Chairman for 30 days

By
ANI
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supertech, rk arora, arora, supreme court, sc
PMLA case: ED moves Delhi HC against order granting interim bail to Supertech Chairman for 30 days 16

The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday moved the Delhi High Court challenging a trial court’s January 16 order granting interim bail for 30 days to Supertech Group Chairman R.K. Arora, arrested in a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) registered by the agency.

Additional Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala of Patiala House Courts had pronounced the order on Tuesday, saying that the top court has recognised the right of the accused to obtain the treatment even from a private hospital at his own cost and expenditure.

Arora had moved the court on January 10 seeking three months’ interim bail, citing health issues, and had informed the court that he has lost around 10 kg since his arrest and needs urgent medical assistance.

On Tuesday, the judge granted him relief on a personal bail bond of Rs one lakh and a surety of Rs two lakh.

Arora’s plea said that he was referred to the state-run Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital by jail authorities, where he underwent examinations and received prescriptions. Despite medical attention, the doctors at the hospital noted a lack of improvement in Arora’s health.

The plea argued for his immediate release on interim bail to facilitate accurate diagnosis and urgent medical treatment and said that prolonged custody could jeopardise Arora’s health, leading to intolerable consequences for him and his family.

The plea also underscored the disparity between medical facilities in prisons and those available in private hospitals, stating that jail facilities are inadequate for monitoring the health of an individual suffering from multiple serious ailments.

In October last year, the court had refused to grant default bail to Arora, who had argued that the ED had filed an incomplete charge sheet against him just to defeat his “statutory right” to get default bail in case the probe agency fails to file a charge sheet within the statutory period of completing the investigation from the arrest of an accused.

On September 26, the judge had taken cognisance of the charge sheet against Arora and dismissed his application, observing that the ED had completed the investigation against the accused.

Arrested on June 27 last year after the ED re-attached properties worth Rs 40 crore belonging to him in this matter, Arora had said that he was arrested without being informed about the grounds of arrest. The court, however, rejected his claim, noting that the probe agency complied with the relevant provisions of law.

The probe agency had, on August 24, filed the charge sheet against Arora and eight others in the matter. The accused have been accused of defrauding at least 670 home buyers of Rs 164 crore. The prosecution had earlier apprised the court that the company and its directors had indulged in a criminal conspiracy to cheat people by collecting funds from prospective home buyers as advance against flats booked in real estate projects but failed to adhere to the agreed obligation of providing possession of the flats on time and ended up defrauding the public.

The money laundering case stems from a bunch of FIRs registered by the police in Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. It is alleged that money collected through real estate business was invested in several firms through money laundering, as the funds from the home buyers were later transferred to several accounts of firms involved in other businesses. Arora could not provide satisfactory answers, which led to his arrest. Several FIRs have been filed against Arora and Supertech. They also took loans from banks, and their accounts reportedly turned into non-performing assets.

Why send summonses if I am not accused in excise policy case: Kejriwal to ED

By
PTI
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arvind kejrwal, kejriwal, aap, bjp, centre, modi, aam aadmi party
Why send summonses if I am not accused in excise policy case: Kejriwal to ED 18

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has replied to the ED, asking why summonses were issued to him if he was not an accused in the excise policy-linked money laundering case, the AAP said on Thursday.

Kejriwal was issued a summons by the Enforcement Directorate last week for the fourth time and asked to appear before the agency on Thursday.

The Aam Aadmi Party alleged that the BJP wants Kejriwal to be arrested so that he cannot campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

”This is being done to stop him from campaigning for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. ED has said that Kejriwal is not an accused, then why were the summons issued to him,” the party said.

The AAP also said their leaders are not involved in corruption and will never join the BJP.

Karnataka’s performance in conviction rate in atrocities against Dalits is not satisfactory: CM Siddaramaiah

By
Afternoon Voice
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Siddaramaiah, Karnataka, CM, Congress, Karnataka Government
Karnataka's performance in conviction rate in atrocities against Dalits is not satisfactory: CM Siddaramaiah 20

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that the performance of the state in terms of conviction rate in cases of violence against Dalits is not satisfactory. He was speaking at the annual conference of senior police officers held at the office of the State Director General of Police on Tuesday.

The Chief Minister said that if the victims are to have faith in the system, the quality of investigations into cases of atrocities must be improved. He gave instructions that a scientifically valid charge sheet should be submitted. “Put a complete stop to the incidents of violence against women and children. Punishment should be increased. Otherwise, the blame will be on the DCPs themselves for this failure,” the CM warned the officers.

“Our government has given a free hand to the police. My commitment is that we should not poke our nose in the police work. But the free hand should not be misused. It should be beneficial to the people,” Siddaramaiah said. He said that it is a bad development that police officers are eager for transfers and are also using their caste. The Chief Minister told them not to do so.

We are a secular nation. We should strengthen the aspirations of our constitution, he said. Crime cases can be reduced with the use of modern technology, he said.

Grants will be set aside in the budget for the construction of Suvarna Police Bhawan, to commemorate 50 years of Karnataka unification. The CM assured that the vacant police posts will also be filled. Home Minister G Parameshwar, Home Secretary Umashankar, State Director General of Police Alok Mohan, Chief Minister’s Secretary Trilok Chandra, Chief Minister’s Political Secretaries Govindaraju and Naseer Ahmed were present.

Earlier speaking to the media on January 15 the Chief Minister said that his government is not trying to protect any accused. He was speaking in the context of the Haveri gang rape case in which his government has been accused of poor law and order.

“We will punish whoever takes the law into their hands. Our government does not try to protect anyone. The accused have been arrested in the gang rape case and the investigation is on. No one in our government is allowed to take the law into their hands. We will take legal action. Those in SIT are also policemen. The case is being investigated and will be decided after the preliminary report is received. The home minister visited when a woman was raped in Belgaum district. I myself instructed to visit. If one part is to visit the victim and offer consolation, another part is to take legal action. We have done both” Siddarmiah said.

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