15 killed, 25 injured as bus falls from bridge in Khargone in Madhya Pradesh 2
Fifteen persons were killed and 20 to 25 other people injured when a bus fell from a bridge in Madhya Pradesh’s Khargone district on Tuesday morning, state Home Minister Narottam Mishra said.
The incident took place at 8.40 am. The bus fell from the bridge on a dry bed of the Borad river near Dongargaon village, he said.
“Fifteen people were killed and nearly 20-25 others were injured in the accident,” the minister told reporters.
The injured persons were admitted to the district hospital in Khargone, he said.
The police were conducting a probe into the incident, he added.
Tillu murder: HC asks jail authorities why no remedial action taken, calls it 'unacceptable state of affairs' 4
The Delhi High Court on Monday questioned jail authorities over the recovery of four knives from Tihar prison premises where gangster Tillu Tajpuriya was stabbed to death allegedly by inmates belonging to a rival gang and termed it as an “unacceptable state of affairs”.
The court asked why no preventive or remedial action was taken by authorities when the incident took place as the entire incident was captured on CCTV cameras installed in jail premises.
Justice Jasmeet Singh issued notice to the Director General of Prisons (Delhi), Delhi government, and Commissioner of Police on a petition filed by Tajpuriya’s father and brother seeking an investigation by the CBI into the “brutal murder” inside Tihar Jail premises on May 2.
The petitioners, represented through senior advocate Maninder Singh, said they are DTC drivers and sought adequate security for themselves.
The senior lawyer argued that it was a case of connivance between the jail officials and the offending inmates who killed Tajpuriya as it could be seen in the video that no jail official intervened to save him. He said the deceased was earlier lodged in Rohini jail and was shifted to Tihar jail just 15 days before the incident.
The high court directed the Delhi Police to ensure the safety and security of both the petitioners and listed the matter for further hearing on May 25.
The judge watched the video in the court and said it was seen that Tajpuriya was taken out of his cell and stabbed to death.
The court said it was unable to comprehend why no action was taken by jail officials and sought to know if any of the officials have been suspended for the lapses.
“This is totally an unacceptable state of affairs. The security of every prisoner is on the respondent. I am unable to gather what is happening here,” the judge said.
The high court directed additional standing counsel Rahul Tyagi, representing the state, to file an affidavit within one week through the Director General of Prisons explaining how four knives were found in prison.
It also asked the jail superintendent concerned to be present in the court on the next date of hearing.
“The affidavit shall also explain if the incident was captured on CCTV cameras installed in Tihar jail premises, why no preventive/remedial action was taken by the respondents.
“The affidavit shall indicate the responsibility and accountability of the jail officials responsible for the lapses,” the judge said.
A CCTV video from Tihar jail which emerged on social media purportedly showed Tajpuriya being attacked in front of security personnel and also when they were carrying him away after he was stabbed.
Tajpuriya was assaulted with improvised weapons allegedly by four members of the Gogi gang inside the high-security prison on May 2.
The accused attacked him for a second time when he was being carried away by security personnel, according to the footage.
In the footage, it appeared that the security personnel were mute spectators while the assailants kept repeatedly attacking the gangster.
According to jail officials, seven personnel of the Tamil Nadu Special Police (TNSP), who was on duty at a Tihar prison cell when Tajpuriya was stabbed to death, have been suspended following the incident.
During the hearing, the counsel for the state and jail authorities submitted that it was a case of gang war and this was done by Tajpuriya’s rival gangsters.
He said the case has been transferred to the Special Cell of Delhi Police for investigation and that the accused inmates had cut the bars of the prison cell.
To this, the judge said, “Should I record that you (jail officials) are not responsible and prisoners are free to cut the jail bars? This is unacceptable.”
The majority of Indian Sikhs don’t want Khalistan - Part 3 6
Another issue that is agonizing Sikhs is the prolonged detention of Sikh political prisoners. This issue has grabbed global attention in recent times when a Sikh farmer from Haryana, Gurbaksh Singh Khalsa, vowed to fast until his death or the release of named prisoners who were not being released by the Indian State despite serving the minimum mandatory terms of their sentences. But the Indian media was again mute or misleading. This issue was discussed on various global media platforms. We are a small newspaper, but our morality is way too big. Keeping calm on such crucial issues was a burden on my soul. I don’t know how much I will be able to reach people, but I am sure that I have made some efforts. Maybe the nonviolent, peaceful struggle of Gurbaksh Singh Khalsa was not dramatic enough to gain TRP. Maybe this topic is not commercially viable for them; maybe there is no personal gain in this news broadcast.
After all, media standards have unbeatable competition for advertisements. This is the reason Indian citizens remained unaware of the developments taking place in Punjab. They just know there was a threat to the PM’s life due to a security breach. They just know how political scheming failed in the tug of war. They just know some female calling herself Sidhu’s sister is washing the family’s dirty linen in public. They know all that creates the sensation but not the sense.
Sikhs are not only political victims; they are sufferers in the entertainment industry too. Sikh jokes are another thing that Sikhs have to deal with every day. Many of us have made merry with the jokes, ignoring and realizing that it’s just a mere joke. But why do we make a point of humor, and that too not on genuine humor stints but on appearance, communication skills, and not-so-intelligent people? On the contrary, many Sikh personalities have been at the top of their respective fields.
When the whole country was divided into states on the basis of language. Punjab was an exception. Sikhs started supporting the Akalis because they felt their culture and language were in danger. Mass protest irked Nehru; he made every possible effort to tame it. Partap Singh Kairon, CM (Congress 1960), worked hard for undivided Punjab and made it the most prosperous state. After Kairon’s assassination and Nehru’s death, Akali leaders once again pushed their agenda for the division of Punjab on a linguistic basis.
Later on, Lal Bahadur Shastri took some good decisions and helped the Punjab. In the Meanwhile, one of the top Congress leaders promised to give perks to Punjab if it gets divided. This came true under the leadership of Indira Gandhi, who flipped all the decisions of Shastri. Punjab was misused by the center to gain votes. Hatred against them was rising in the country. In the early 1980s, there was a conference in Amritsar, top Sikh leaders were called, but they felt discriminated against. The media was under the control of politicians, and no news was made to bring out the truth about all that was burning in Punjab.
Meanwhile, the government started promoting Deras. Congress helped Deras open various new branches. This was done to weaken Sikh agitations. Later on, Badals also supported Dera under the table to make Sikhs insecure. Time and again they got deceived, but every time the opponents were different. Sikhism has often been criticized by non-Sikhs regarding its texts, practices, and social customs, but Sikhs and other scholars argue that these criticisms are flawed and are based on a biased and poor understanding of the texts, particularly the multiple languages used in the Sikh scriptures. They also argue that most western scholars who attempted to interpret eastern religious texts were missionaries and could not overcome the bias they carried with them, irrespective of whether they were translating the Quran, Vedas, or Puranas of the Guru Granth Sahib. Guru Nanak rejected ceremonial worship and encouraged belief in one true God, Waheguru.
The worship and bowing to the Guru Granth Sahib have often been interpreted by western scholars as parallel to idolization, as observed by the Hindu faith, which defeats the ideology of Guru Nanak. A few Sikh groups have put pressure on universities to clutter academic criticism of popular Sikh literature and theories of Sikh history, but even today, the outlook towards Sikhism has not changed much. From political linkage to protecting Sikh cultural values, they have various challenges to deal with.
The majority of Indian Sikhs do not want Khalistan – Part 2 8
Maybe some misguided youth who were born in the 1990s and who do not know what it was to live and grow up in Punjab in the 1980s. The movement in the 1980s lost o because Sikhs never identified themselves with the movement for a separate homeland. Mind you, even after Operation Bluestar many Sikh Generals in the Indian Army only resigned in protest, imagine what would have happened had they revolted? Their protest was against the Indian States and authorities but not the Indian Nation.
Congress was always unfair to Sikhs since the pre-independence era but the anger against
them has almost faded in the struggle of choosing a lesser enemy. They prefer to vote for
secular political parties rather than trusting communal politics. Punjab is mostly ruled by
the Congress. Captain Amarinder Singh former Chief Minister was once a scion of Patiala
state and former Indian army officer. He was the first Indian parliamentarian; who
resigned as a mark of protest after Operation Blue Star operation in Punjab. But later on
until early 2021 he was Congress veteran and Chaired as CM of Punjab.
Decade old Aam Aadmi Party made their political debut from Punjab, and Sikhs across the globe kept a lot of hopes from them as they thought this new party may deliver some justice to them by releasing political prisoners from Jail. The Aam Aadmi Party turned out to be the biggest disappointment. Instead of sticking to its anti-corruption agenda, AAP got into unwanted politics.
Now Punjab wants peaceful governance and Congress has managed to do so. Above all some political motivators were successful enough in creating a perception in urban voters that AAP is being supported by fringe elements like Khalistani supporters. Some unfortunate events also led to this like the Sucha Singh Chhotepur event. Chotepur was Punjab AAP convener and biggest leader of AAP in Punjab but he was caught selling tickets. In India being good and doing everything right doesn’t guarantee you electoral success. Even those who considered AAP to be a reasonable alternative did not vote for AAP, in apprehension that Akalis may return to power hence those irritated with Akalis and supporters of AAP also voted Congress.
Apart from political dilemmas and social stigmas, India Sikhs are still fighting for their
religious and traditional identity. Why are they not allowed to disassociate with all other
beliefs and adhere to Sikhism? Why do we try to establish their ancestry in Hinduism?
Why is the Indian media also mostly biased against their faith? Why is their descent
translated as Khalistan?
To some extent, the politically motivated media houses hardly have anything to offer when
it comes to the Minorities of India. Hindu supremacy is the prime agenda of mainstream
media channels. Spewing venom against minorities, and creating disturbing narratives about
them is routine assignments of some sold-out media houses. And in this race recent
victims are Sikh farmers; their protest was deduced as Pakistan-sponsored and Khalistan
sympathizer’s event. There are many Sikhs who proudly serve India, they belong here and
calling them terrorists was disgraceful.
During farmer’s agitation one old farmer said on the allegation of extremism, मै अपने जमीर
और जमीन दोनों से ईमानदार हु, कैसे यकीं दिला दू? (I am honest with both my conscience and
my motherland; how can I make one believe?) The right to protest against the
establishment is a fundamental right in Democracy. We all Indians have equal rights in
this democratic country. Thankfully some parallel media houses were bold enough to echo
farmers’ voices and gather support across the globe. These are the people who are holding
democratic values against authoritarian elements.
India’s Sikh population stands at 20.8 million, which is 1.72 per cent of the country's total
population. Sikhism is the fourth largest religion in India contributing 1.7% of the
population and has existed since the late 15th century. The Sikhs are present in all over the
parts of India and their contribution is equally huge to all the state’s economy and welfare.
During Farmer’s agitation, the headlines were made to project Sikh farmers as Khalistani
terrorists’, showing one viral video of a Sikh man threatening Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, the entire agitation was branded as an anti-BJP protest. To counter this bias and
menace, the agitating Sikhs came up with their own social media page called Kisan Ekta
Morcha. Facebook temporarily shut down that page, and then they printed their news and
circulated amongst farmers. Kisan Ekta Morcha' was the official update on the agitation,
and was restored in three hours following social media outrage.
Social media played an important role in Farmer’s agitation. While all kinds of media
either refused to show them initially, and later on to demoralize farmers they were
peddling fake news. Likewise, YouTube gave voices to agitating farmers. The powerful use
of social media and the strong will of farmers finally forced our PM to repeal the farm Laws.
Some see it as a political gimmick ahead of elections in crucial states. Some farmers are
still agitating for a complete conclusion.
Till today no media person was made accountable for making those derogatory statements
and running those schemes. No media dared to talk, about what has forced the Modi
government to repeal those laws? Some Media anchors were seen crying in their
programmes questioning Modi’s soft approach, some went on tomtoming how kindhearted
Modi is but none of them were absolutely responsible for drawing accurate conclusions.
The seva by Sikhs was translated as picnic, the voices of Sikhs were anticipated as voice
of Khalistan extremists and the participation of Sikh women was fated as sold-out
protesters. Film actors, media channels, anchors, IT cells and celebrities were unleashed
against one community, and finally, most of the common citizens started believing that the
protesting Sikhs were terrorists.
This is not the one and only issue, be it of releasing political prisoners or Sikh agitators,
the media either remained mute or displayed their double standards. When Sadhvi Pragya was
released from jail for health reasons Congress leaders coined a term called “Hindu
Terrorists.” Entire media, social media, political leaders, Hindu religious preachers and
Sanyasis all took to the prime-time debates with rabble-rousing media anchors by calling it
‘Hindu-phobia.’ Some went on cursing the fate of other minorities in India. I am not
passing any judgement here, but if we feel bad to be coined as terrorists then why the
The majority of Indian Sikhs don’t want Khalistan - Part 1 10
Sikhs don’t want to separate from India; what they want is basic respect and acceptance. In this book, I have written about how Sikhs are politically betrayed in India. Some Sikh leaders had a lot of political ambitions, but they were not fit for the party’s political agenda, while some sections of Sikhs wanted to push the agenda of Khalistan, but that could never happen. Some issues are here to stay and will not be solved or resolved, like separate Tamil Nadu, Hindu Rashtra, and Kashmir. These issues are political gasses; they are used to burn political agendas only during elections. With mature voters, such issues have also lost their relevance. Go to Punjab and ask the average Punjabi or Sikh if they really crave Khalistan. Likewise, ask an average Hindu voter about Hindu Rashtra; they don’t even know what Hindu Rashtra is all about. The Indian middle class has routine challenges, and their lives go on dealing with them.
Those minute and rather insignificant numbers of people raising slogans can’t be construed as speaking for the whole community. 1984 was indeed a dark year for Sikhs as well as India. It shouldn’t be forgotten, but one must make sure that there is no repeat of such incidents. In recent times, the idea of Khalistan has been fuelled by some sections of NRI Sikhs, who fled from the country a long time ago, and Pakistani ISI agents who want to disrupt peace and harmony in India. Sikhs demand basic respect from other communities. Sikhs have made selfless sacrifices to shield others from cruelty, torture, and death in the past and even in the present. Their charitable work is enormous; they are known for helping people in India irrespective of caste, religion, or creed. They feel hurt when you make jokes about them and treat them as entertainment entities. They don’t want to be labeled as Khalistanis or extremists. A small vocal section sharing hashtags on social media, raising loud slogans, or wielding kirpans is not representative of the entire Sikh community.
Since 1984, that young generation has grown up, and many old people have departed. Then the younger generations of Sikhs are now entrepreneurs, government employees, farmers, and army cadres. The overall mistrust of the Indian state has been restored to utmost confidence in them. The injustice to the community that still irks and spills out on social media is because of the Indian policy of going into skirmishes against its own people in the name of teaching them a lesson, murdering a bunch of them, and denying justice to them repeatedly. In the case of all other minorities, the riots are well-propagated plans to demoralize and break the minorities.
With time, the memories of this massacre may fade, but it will rank in Sikh history with the likes of the one orchestrated by Ahmad Shah Abdali, who also attacked the Golden Temple and massacred a large number of Sikhs. Punjab is a landlocked state with two nuclear powers on both sides and the destabilized region of Kashmir to the north. There is no chance of being able to do trade without aligning with either Pakistan or India. Punjab has no power sources or mineral resources of its own. The state’s major assets are its rivers and fertile lands, and the drivers are locked by the dams, and water is distributed around. Most Sikhs don’t bother with the idea of Khalistan, but they are bothered by the idea of sharing their water and resources.
The Congress Party was solely accused of the 1984 Sikh riots; there were many Congress leaders who were found participating in passing the orders. But to my surprise, ever since 1984, Punjab has been electing the Congress Party time and again, which means the 1984 allegations against Congress hold no ground. Most of the Chief Ministers of Punjab, where Sikhs live, are Congress loyalists, and most of the Sikh voters are also Sikhs. Why is anger against Congress translated into votes? Why are Sikh politicians supporting Congress? Punjab has endured the dark decade of 1980. The violence took a toll on both the Hindu and Sikh communities. That is the reason the vast majority of Sikhs in Punjab do not want a separate homeland or that war-like situation. The occasional shrill voices for Khalistan separation come from those NRIs in Canada or the UK who have nothing to lose in India. They faced no brunt during 1980 and have nothing to lose if those dark days return to Punjab.
Maybe some misguided youth who were born in the 1990s and who don’t know what it was to live and grow up in Punjab in the 1980s The movement in the 1980s failed because Sikhs never identified themselves with the movement for a separate homeland. Mind you, even after Operation Bluestar, many Sikh generals in the Indian Army only resigned in protest; imagine what would have happened had they revolted. Their protest was against the Indian states and authorities, but not the Indian Nation.
In politics, nothing happens by accident: Raut ahead of crucial NCP meet 12
Ahead of the crucial Nationalist Congress Party meeting to decide on its next president, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Friday said in politics nothing happens by accident.
A committee of senior NCP leaders, including Ajit Pawar, Supriya Sule, former Union minister Parful Patel and Chhagan Bhujbal, are scheduled to meet at 11 am on Friday to decide on who will lead the party following their chief Sharad Pawar’s decision to step down earlier this week.
In a cryptic tweet, Raut quoted former US president Franklin D Roosevelt, “In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens you can bet it was planned that way.”
The move by NCP is expected to have ramifications on the Shiv Sena (UBT) which is part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, also comprising the NCP and Congress, that is taking on the Bharatiya Janata Party in Maharashtra.
On Thursday, an editorial in Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece ‘Saamana’, of which Raut is the executive editor, said the end motive of Pawar’s nephew and top NCP leader Ajit Pawar is to become the chief minister. Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule has a good presence in Delhi and she works very efficiently in Parliament, said the editorial.
It also said that the announcement to step down could also be Pawar’s way to assess organisational strength if NCP MLAs walk away just like the Shiv Sena, referring to Eknath Shinde’s rebellion last year.
At the launch of his revised autobiography, ‘Lok Majhe Sangati’, which focuses on events post-2015 and was released on Tuesday, Pawar sprang a surprise by announcing his decision to quit as president of the party he founded and headed since 1999 when he left the Congress to chart his own political course.
In the book, Pawar wrote that the Congress’ “arrogance” was evident during the talks that led to the Congress and NCP joining hands with the undivided Shiv Sena after the 2019 Assembly polls. Pawar also said that it was difficult to fathom why Uddhav Thackeray as chief minister chose to visit Mantralaya, the state secretariat in south Mumbai, only twice during the coronavirus pandemic, a claim described by Raut as “wrong information”.
Further, he blamed Thackeray for failing to quell the discontent within his own party and for resigning as Maharashtra chief minister without putting up a fight.
Congress slams govt after protesting wrestlers allege manhandling by cops, expresses solidarity with grapplers 14
The Congress on Thursday hit out at Union Minister Amit Shah and the Delhi Police under him over a scuffle between police and the wrestlers protesting at Jantar Mantar.
The Opposition party said that party MP Deepender Hooda was detained by police when he went to the spot after hearing about the ”atrocities” of Delhi Police.
A scuffle broke out late Wednesday night between wrestlers and some policemen at the Jantar Mantar here, leading to head injuries to a couple of protesters.
The wrestlers have alleged that they were beaten up by the police. In the early hours Thursday, Hooda tweeted in Hindi, ”When I reached Jantar Mantar to enquire about the condition of our daughters, the Delhi Police took me into custody outside the protest site and has now brought me to the Vasant Vihar Police Station.”
Tagging a video of Olympics bronze medallist Sakshi Malik breaking down and her colleague Vinesh Phogat consoling her, the Congress said in a tweet in Hindi, ”These are the daughters of our country, safeguarded the country’s honour and won us many medals. Today the police of Home Minister Amit Shah are misbehaving with them.” Their only crime is that they are raising their voice against exploitation, the Congress said. ”Narendra Modi ji, why are you doing this injustice?” the party said.
In another tweet in Hindi, the Congress said, ”Congress MP Deepender Hooda ji reached the spot as soon as he came to know about the atrocities of Delhi Police on the daughters of the country.” Congress stands firmly with the daughters of the country, the party said, and added, ”the clear message is – don’t be afraid, we are together with you.”
According to protestors, two wrestlers Rahul Yadav and Dushyant Phogat were injured. Phogat too has received head injuries. Several wrestlers who have won awards at international competitions have been protesting at Jantar Mantar, demanding that the government make public the findings of an oversight panel that investigated the sexual harassment charges against Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
The Delhi Police has filed two FIRs against Singh on allegations of sexual harassment levelled against the BJP MP by seven women wrestlers. The wrestlers have asserted that they would not leave the protest site until Singh is arrested. They resumed their sit-in last week and demanded that the findings of the panel that probed the allegations be made public. Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala also slammed the government over the issue.
In a tweet, the Rajya Sabha MP said, ”Save India’s Daughters from BJP! Shameful, Shocking & Disgraceful! Is this how you empower Nari Shakti? India’s athletes are being maltreated only because the offender Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh is BJP leader, BJP MP & an associate of PM Modi.” ”This is a Black Day for Indian Sports,” Surjewala said and wondered if anyone has any reason anymore to encourage their daughters to bring laurels to India.
”Is it not true that offender BJP MP has direct protection of PM?” Surjewala said.
”Who’ll give justice to India’s Daughters? Why is Modi Government ordering Delhi Police to harass and humiliate our daughters in the middle of the night?” he said.
The politician also alleged that the Delhi Police was working at the behest of Shah to intimidate the protesting wrestlers.
”Can there be a more inhumane treatment of our Sportspersons? Isn’t it true that first Modi Govt ordered Delhi Police to scuffle with Ex Servicemen demanding One Rank, One Pension and is now scuffling with India’s athletes and Sportsmen & women, who won medals for India by sheer dint of their hard work?” Surjewala, who hails from Haryana said.
”Justice is dead! This black day will always be remembered as the day humanity died at Jantar Mantar,” he added.
Will continue working in political life, won't contest elections now: Sharad Pawar, after stepping down as NCP president 16
Veteran politician Sharad Pawar announced on Tuesday that he has decided to step down as the president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) after helming it for 24 years and stated that he will not contest any more elections. “After this prolonged period of political career from May 1, 1960, to May 1, 2023, it is necessary to take a step back. “Hence, I have decided to step down as President of the Nationalist Congress Party,” Pawar said after the launch of the second edition of his autobiography, “Lok Maze Sangati.”
He further said that he would continue working in political, social, and cultural life. “I have three years of tenure remaining in the Rajya Sabha. I will not contest elections now,” the veteran leader said. Ajit Pawar, the nephew of Sharad Pawar, supported the latter’s decision to step down from the party president post. “Pawar Sahab himself had said about the necessity of a change in the guard a few days ago. We should also see his decision in light of his age and health. “Everyone has to make a decision according to time; Pawar Saheb has taken a decision and he won’t take it back,” Ajit Pawar said.
While Sharad Pawar recommended a committee of senior NCP leaders to decide on the future course of action. The committee will include Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare, P.C. Chacko, Narhari Zirwal, Ajit Pawar, Supriya Sule, Jayant Patil, Chhagan Bhujabl, Dilip Walse-Patil, Anil Deshmukh, Rajesh Tope, Jitendra Awhad, Hasan Mushrif, Dhananjay Munde, Jaydev Gaikwad, and chiefs of party frontal cells, Pawar said. After his announcement, several NCP leaders and workers were seen chanting slogans, asking Pawar to reverse his decision.
Recalling his political career, the NCP supremo said, “Since the formation of the Nationalist Congress Party in 1999, I have had the privilege of being elected as its President, which today is in its 24th year.” This entire journey of being in public life, which began on May 1, 1960, has continued unabated for the past 63 years, having served Maharashtra and India in various capacities during this period. I have three years of tenure remaining in the Rajya Sabha. I will not contest elections henceforth. In these three years, I will concentrate more on issues concerning the state and the country. I will not take on any additional responsibilities. I started my political career on May 1, 1960. Yesterday, we celebrated May Day. After this prolonged political career, one must think about stopping somewhere. One must not be greedy. I will never take the position of sticking to a post after so many years. Therefore, you might feel uneasy. But I have decided to retire from the post of the NCP chief,” Pawar further said.
The four-time chief minister of Maharashtra has previously served as the Minister of Defense in the Cabinet of P V Narsimha Rao and as the Minister of Agriculture in the Cabinet of Manmohan Singh. He was the first and former president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which was founded in 1999 after separating from the Indian National Congress.
Speaking after the release of his autobiography, Pawar said that it was time for a new generation to guide the party and the direction it intends to take. The NCP leader, however, said that he would not retire from public life even after resigning from the party post.
“Even though I am stepping down from the post of president, I am not retiring from public life.” Constant travel has become an integral part of my life. I will continue attending public events and meetings. Whether in Pune, Mumbai, Baramati, Delhi, or any other part of India, I will be available to all of you as usual. “I will continue to work around the clock to solve people’s problems,” he said. Pawar’s decision came as a surprise to many of his partymen.
Party MP Praful Patel said, “We have requested Sharad Pawar ji with a folded hand to withdraw the decision. I request that he withdraw the decision on behalf of all. “The state and the country need his leadership.” In an attempt to pacify agitated party workers, Patel said, “Repeating the same thing won’t solve any purpose and is meaningless. “We senior leaders will talk to Pawar Saheb.”
As US President Joe Biden launched his 2024 re-election campaign, he possibly set the stage for a potential rematch of his showdown with Donald Trump four years ago. Trump is signaling that he intends to run in 2024. Biden is the lowest polling president in history but plans to run for re-election because people might choose him over Trump. Trump is certainly going to lose in 2024. He lost by 7 million votes in 2020, and he has not expanded his base at all since then. Trump has only become more fascist, intolerant, and racist. He has now been indicted, and will be indicted again this year, for either Georgia election interference or obstruction of justice as to classified documents, or both.
Joe Biden has to find a lot of balance if he contests for president again in 2024. Prior to the 2020 election, Joe Biden suggested that, given his age, he would only serve one term. He put this forward to say that he would not be afraid to make courageous decisions for America. He could not take any such challenging decisions so far but gave non corrupt governance, and whatever decisions he made are detested in the short term but are necessary for America’s long-term interests. His age is the biggest concern, if his health remains steady, Joe Biden could well see himself seeking a second term in 2024. If he continues his current clean record, he will be the favorite.
If you consider Donald Trump, he is clearly hoping to take on Joe Biden for revenge. Donald Trump will be able to hold on to the leadership of the GOP until then. To his glee, a genuine, honest, politically-experienced and moral man gets hung out to dry because a narcissistic man has the uncanny ability to manipulate an entire country and cause division and total chaos that prides itself on being the best when it is undoubtedly proving itself to be the opposite. Trump running in 2024 makes absolutely no sense. Trump is considered to be the worst president in US history, yet he is still preferred by certain voters to someone as respectable and productive as Biden?
Trump broke every law that governs the US presidency, up to and including treason and sedition, and he simply walks away from it all, free to do it all over again? Biden literally saved the US from a very negative position on the world stage that Trump had placed the country in, but Biden never got any praise for doing so! But if Trump had done what Biden has done, he would have been highly praised for his accomplishments.
Joe Biden has kick-started his campaign after much speculation that he may choose not to run for the post as he is already the oldest person to hold the office. Other potential challengers from his party include California Governor Gavin Newsom and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, while Marianne Williamson and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., have already announced their bids against him. Meanwhile, Donald Trump, 76, faces challenges from prospective Republican candidates like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, and Tim Scott. His main challenger seems to be Ron DeSantis, but polls show that Donald Trump could easily defeat DeSantis by double-digits. Donald Trump currently stands to win his party’s nomination by anywhere between 15 and 35 points, based on current polling.
Pollster Rasmussen delivered Joe Biden’s best approval ratings to date in some of their recent polls but predicted his loss by near-double digits to either Donald Trump or Ron DeSantis. Joe Biden’s disapproval rating is at 56 per cent in a recent Quinnipiac University poll, while Donald Trump’s disapproval rating is two points higher, at 58 per cent. My gut tells me it will be a Democratic election, whoever that may be. The damage Trump and Republicans in both the House and Senate have done will take at least a decade to repair. The Republican Party is shrinking. The Independents and Democratic Party are growing. Republicans need a new platform and mission statement in order to have any chance of gaining political power again.
Every Indian should volunteer in support of the protesting wrestlers 20
India’s most famous wrestlers who struggled on their own to earn gold medals for the country are protesting to seek justice, but neither PM Modi took interest in knowing what went wrong nor those women forces of the BJP who randomly attacked all those leaders who are not part of the BJP. This issue got the BJP in trouble because the molester is none other than the BJP’s own leader, Brij Bhushan, who has a criminal history.
His career as a parliamentarian began when he entered the Lok Sabha in 1991. Brij Bhushan faces several charges, including attempted murder, punishment for dacoity, and causing the desertion of evidence. However, he has not been convicted in any one of these cases because the power corridors are always open for him. Singh, who was also named in the controversial Babri mosque demolition case, came to be known as a man of controversy in sports when he publicly slapped an athlete in Ranchi in 2021.
A video dating from December 2021 went viral on social media; however, he remained unapologetic. The next year, in August 2022, Brij Bhushan abruptly stopped the trials to select India’s representation in the 59 kg category for the World Wrestling Championship just 54 seconds after they had started. The reason that he gave was that a group of seers from Ayodhya, the chief guests at the event, was not invited to give blessings before starting the selection process.
It’s been almost three months since wrestlers began their agitation, and the BJP leader was acquitted by a MP-MLA court in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda district. He was freed of charges as no evidence was found in the 29-year-old case related to the attack on a former UP minister in the Samajwadi Party government in 1993. By now, he (Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh) should have been in jail for such serious allegations leveled against him, but even an FIR has not been registered in this case.
Bajrang Punia, c, Vinesh Phogat, Sangeeta Phogat, Satyawart Kadian, Somveer Rathi, and Jitender Kinha are some prominent names among the protesters. They held a protest in Jantar Mantar in January this year but ended it after the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports announced the formation of an ‘oversight committee’ to probe the allegations leveled against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and other coaches. The protesters, however, intensified their protest again on Sunday after filing a complaint at the Connaught Place police station on Friday stating that seven female wrestlers, including one minor, were “harassed and exploited” by Brij Bhushan in his capacity as WFI chief.
The ace wrestler said that this time they will not turn down anyone, and whoever wants to support their protest could come and join them. The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has issued a notice to Delhi Police to register an FIR on the issue. The All India Mahila Congress also joined the protesting wrestlers. Mahila Congress president Netta D’Souza, who was spotted wiping the tears of Sakshi Malik at the protest site, said that the prime minister was asking the nation to support sportspersons and was ignoring the sexual crimes against women wrestlers.
BJP government protecting the BJP MP instead of punishing him, The Beti Bachao slogan of the BJP sounds hollow when you see sexual predators in its ranks. Finally, the Supreme Court issued notice on a plea by seven wrestlers seeking registration of an FIR against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over allegations of sexual harassment. The bench presided over by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, which perused the petition, said “there are serious allegations that are contained in the petition at the behest of… international wrestlers who have represented India with regard to sexual harassment that has been meted out to them”. The bench added that “the matter, in our view, requires the consideration of this court”. Issuing notice, the court made it returnable on Friday.
There are video recordings to prove allegations of sexual assault. The victims are seven female wrestlers. One of them was 16 years old at the time of the harassment. She had won a gold medal, and even the police personnel should be prosecuted for not registering a case under stringent sections. The BJP government might have turned out to be a mute spectator, but many have lent their support to the wrestlers.
Since Sunday, wrestlers, including Olympic medalists, have been sitting on a “dharna” at the national capital’s iconic Jantar Mantar protest site. This is the second round of their protest; the first round, in January, was called off after a meeting with Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur led to the formation of a committee to look into their allegations. However, as no action was taken against Singh, they decided to resume their protest. The BJP MP, for his part, has rubbished their allegations. We should not forget that the Indian wrestling contingent returned home with a 100 percent record from the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, with six gold, one silver, and five bronze medals. All 12 wrestlers were welcomed with the chants of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” at the airport. Some of them shake hands with Modi when it comes to their self-respect and safety, but many of us are silent.
