Shinde calls meeting of rebel MLAs in Guwahati

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June 27, 2022

Amid the political crisis in Maharashtra, rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde has called a meeting of MLAs camping with him at a hotel in Assam’s Guwahati on Monday at 2 pm, said sources.

The meeting is called amid a Supreme Court hearing against the disqualification notices issued by Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal against rebel MLAs.

The rebel leader also challenged the appointment of Ajay Chaudhary as the Shiv Sena’s legislative leader in the House in place of Shinde.

The petitioner, Shinde has sought to issue direction to Deputy Speaker to not take any action in the disqualification petition under Rule 6 of MLA Defection Rules seeking disqualification of the rebel MLAs and also not to take any action on the same until the resolution for removal of the Deputy Speaker is decided. The Deputy Speaker, who is in charge of the House in the absence of the Speaker and has issued the notice dated June 25, 2022, in the disqualification petition against the petitioner.

Earlier, Shide spoke to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray about the recent political situation in the state.

He spoke to Raj Thackeray over the phone twice and also enquired about his health. Shinde, who is currently camping in Assam along with other MLAs, on Sunday lashed out at the party for allegedly supporting the culprits of the Mumbai bomb blast, Dawood Ibrahim and those responsible for the taking lives of innocent people.

“How can Balasaheb Thackeray’s Shiv Sena support people who had a direct connection with culprits of Mumbai bomb blast, Dawood Ibrahim and those responsible for taking lives of innocent people of Mumbai.

That’s why we took such a step, it’s better to die,” Shinde said in a tweet.

However, Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray claimed that on May 20, CM Uddhav Thackeray had asked Eknath Shinde to become CM if he wanted to, but at that time he did drama and now just a month later, he rebelled.

Notably, former minister and Shiv Sena MLA Deepak Kesarkar, who is now in the Eknath Shinde camp, had said that the MLAs of the Shinde camp are ready to face the floor test in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly at any time, but first recognition should be given to Eknath Shinde faction.

Interestingly, the Shinde faction named their group ‘Shiv Sena Balasaheb’. The naming of the group after the name of the Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray attracted sharp reactions from the Uddhav faction as the Chief Minister said that those who left the party should not seek votes in the name of the party founder.

The United States expects NATO’s strategic concept to include a “strong” word about China

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ANI

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June 26, 2022

China USA Flags — The United States expects NATO's strategic concept to include a "strong" word about China 3

A White House official on Sunday said that the United States is expecting that the new NATO strategic concept, which will be adopted during the upcoming summit in Madrid, will contain some “strong” language on China.

According to Sputnik News Agency, the official said, “So just as teams are continuing to work here on the G7 document teams are continuing to make final tweaks on the strategic concept. So those conversations are ongoing.”

“I think we’re very confident we’re gonna get to a good place. And then we’re gonna have strong China language in the NATO Strategic Concept, which will be I think, you know, a significant improvement or change from 2010 when China was not mentioned and Russia I think was called a strategic partner or something,” the official added.

He further said that during the G7 Summit, scheduled from June 26-27 in Germany, China will be discussed widely. “They touched on China, which I think is going to continue to be a broad theme for this trip. A year ago, you remember China was mentioned in the G7 leader statement and was also mentioned for the first time in the NATO leader statement. We expect that that’s going to be echoed and enhanced in meetings this week, starting at the G7 and then continuing on at NATO including in the strategic concept,” the official said.

Separately, after a meeting of US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Scholz, the official told a media briefing that Washington and Berlin have decided that the conflict in Ukraine should be settled diplomatically, Sputnik reported.

“There was a continued commitment by both President [Joe] Biden and [German] Chancellor [Olaf] Sholz to continue providing security assistance to Ukraine… I think both of us have the same broad approach to the diplomatic solution,” the official said.

Biden reached Schloss Elmau in southern Germany on June 25 to attend the Group of Seven (G7) Leaders’ Summit.

An official statement earlier stated that, during the summit, the US President Biden and other G-7 leaders will hold discussions on the global issues including the G-7’s unwavering support for a democratic, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine, economic and democratic resilience, tackling the climate crisis, development infrastructure, global health security, and the food and energy crisis caused by Russia’s war of aggression.

The statement added that Biden will travel to Madrid in Spain on June 28 for the 2022 NATO Summit where the allied leader will endorse a new Strategic Concept to guide NATO’s transformation over the next decade. This will focus on strengthening deterrence and defence, building resilience against transnational threats including cyber and climate and deepening partnerships with democratic partners in Europe and Asia in order to strengthen the rules-based international order.

The G7 Summit is scheduled to be held on June 26-28 this year, at Schloss Elmau, a castle resort in the Bavarian Alps in southern Germany. The G7 comprises Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Japan, the United States and Canada.

Shiv Sena notifies 16 MLAs and starts “legal action” against rebels

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ANI

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June 26, 2022

Amid the political crisis in Maharashtra triggered by a rebellion by a large section of Shiv Sena MLAs, who are currently camping in Assam, Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant on Sunday informed that the party has initiated legal action and served notices to concerned MLAs.

Addressing the reporters today, Sawant said, “Political turbulence is going on in Maharashtra, many MLAs defected and have gone to Assam. We have initiated legal action against them and notice has been served to 16 MLAs till now.”

Advocate Devdutta Kamat, Shiv Sena’s Senior Counsel also said to reporters, “Proceedings have been initiated by Shiv Sena against 16 MLAs, under the provision in the Constitution which says that if a person gives up the membership of a party then he’s eligible for disqualification.”

“There were several meetings that were called by Shiv Sena at different times, none of which were attended by them. Visiting BJP-ruled states, meeting BJP leaders, and attempting to topple government amounts to a violation by rebels,” Advocate Devdutta Kamat said.

Kamat said the concept of 2-3rd (to surpass anti-defection law) applies only if there is a merger. “Until the MLAs, don’t merge with another party, disqualification applies. Till today there’s no merger, they have voluntarily given up membership,” Adv Devdutta Kamat said.

Notably, the national executive meeting of the Shiv Sena on June 25 passed six resolutions giving absolute rights to Maharashtra Chief Minister and party president Uddhav Thackeray to take action against the rebels to bring the revolt within party under control. The meeting was called in the wake of Sena MLA Eknath Shinde’s rebellion, which has not only destabilised the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) Government in the State but also poses a risk of the Thackerays losing control of the party.

The advocate said that under the constitution, the deputy speaker has the power of the speaker in the latter’s absence and can adjudicate on such matters. “No confidence motion was sent through an unauthorized email address by rebels,” he said.

Amid the ongoing power tussle in Maharashtra, two MLAs on June 26 called for the removal of the Maharashtra Deputy Speaker, who could be the key decision-maker about the disqualification of the rebel MLAs. Mahesh Baldi and Vinod Agarwal, both independent MLAs and said to be close to the BJP, have moved for the removal of Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal, who is from Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Independent MLA Mahesh Baldi from Uran assembly constituency reached Vidhan Bhavan today and submitted a letter to the office Deputy speaker saying that he cannot disqualify the 12 MLAs.

In his letter, he has cited several judgements of the Supreme Court. “The entire Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government doesn’t have the majority and they can’t disqualify any MLA. I am against Congress and NCP and if the MLAs are disqualified, we will also go to the Court,” he said.

Notably, the Maharashtra assembly doesn’t have a Speaker since February 2021.

Also, the Deputy Speaker also approved the appointment of Ajay Chaudhary as leader of the ruling party Shiv Sena in the assembly in place of Eknath Shinde. Eknath Shinde has called the appointment illegal as Chaudhary’s name was proposed by the “minority faction” as he represents the “real Sena”.

Shinde, who has been replaced by Ajay Chaudhary as Shiv Sena’s legislature party leader on Friday, is currently camping with over 40 rebel MLAs in Guwahati.

In a jolt to the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra, senior Shiv Sena Minister Eknath Shinde and other rebel MLAs revolted against the party on Monday night and camped in Surat. The rebel MLAs have shifted base to a hotel in Guwahati.

On Friday, in his virtual address to the party’s district unit chiefs and ‘sampark pramukhs’, CM Uddhav Thackeray said “despite the rebellions that the party has faced earlier, it came to power twice. I may have left ‘Varsha’, the Chief Minister’s official residence, but not my determination”.

Meanwhile, party MP Sanjay Raut on Thursday said the Sena is ready to quit the MVA government if the group of rebel legislators camping in Assam returns to Mumbai in 24 hours and discusses the issue with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

“You say you are real Shiv Sainiks and will not quit the party. We are ready to consider your demand provided you come back to Mumbai in 24 hours and discuss the issue with CM Uddhav Thackeray. Your demand will be considered positively. Don’t write letters on Twitter and WhatsApp,” Raut told reporters.

UN official defends activist Teesta Setalvad, says “defending rights not a crime”

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Afternoon Voice

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June 26, 2022

teesta setalvad, gujarat, ats, gujarat ats, ahmadabad crime branch, gujarat crime branch, 2002 gujarat riot, gujarat riots — Image: Agency

Activist Teesta Setalvad was arrested by the Ahmadabad Crime Branch on Sunday, a day after the Supreme Court slammed those who had “kept the pot boiling” on the 2002 Gujarat riots.

The activist was taken into custody by the Gujarat Police’s Anti-Terrorism Squad from Mumbai on Saturday evening.

Amit Shah blamed Setalvad for giving baseless information about the 2002

An official of the United Nations condemned the detention of activist Teesta Setalvad on Saturday, saying “defending human right is not a crime”. Expressing deep concern, Mary Lawlor, the United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, said “Teesta is a strong voice against hatred and discrimination”.

The activist was taken into custody by the Gujarat Police’s Anti-Terrorism Squad from Mumbai on Saturday evening, a day after the Supreme Court slammed those who had “kept the pot boiling” on the 2002 Gujarat riots.

The action came hours after Home Minister Amit Shah, in an interview with a news agency, blamed Ms Setalvad-run NGO for giving baseless information about the 2002 Gujarat riots to the police.

By defeating 41-time champions Mumbai by six wickets, Madhya Pradesh makes history and wins its first Ranji Trophy

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ANI

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June 26, 2022

Madhya Pradesh created history and captured their maiden Ranji Trophy title, defeating favourites Mumbai in the finals by six wickets at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday.

This win is a historic one for Madhya Pradesh, as they captured their maiden Ranji title. The victory becomes even more significant because they defeated 41-time champions Mumbai, who were heading into the finals as favourites.

Mumbai started off the final day at 113/2, with Armaan Jaffer 30 (34) and Suved Parkar 9 (14). The duo went on to have a 56-run stand which ended with Jaffer’s dismissal by pacer Gaurav Yadav for 37.

Parkar was joined by the man-in-form Sarfaraz Khan. The duo went on to add another 53-runs before Parkar was dismissed for 51 by the spinner Kumar Kartikeya. Yashasvi Jaiswal fell cheap for just 1 to Kartikeya.

Then Khan and Shams Mulani stitched a 34-run stand after this mini-collapse. Mulani was dismissed for 17 after being run out by Saransh Jain, ending the duo’s resistance to MP bowling. Sarfaraz Khan fell shortly for 45, being dismissed by spinner Parth Sahani with assistance from the safe hands of Anubhav Agarwal. At this point, Mumbai was 236/7.

The rest of the Mumbai batting lineup could not put up much of a fight, with the side being bundled out for 269. Mumbai gained a slender lead of 107, setting a target of 108 for MP to take home their maiden title.

Kumar Kartikeya with his 4/98 was the start for Mumbai with the ball. Gaurav Yadav and Parth Sahani took two wickets each.

Chasing 108, Madhya Pradesh were off to a tricky start as they lost their opener Yash Dubey for just 1 after veteran Mumbai pacer Dhawal Kulkarni dislodged his stumps.

Then Shubham S Sharma and opener/wicketkeeper-batter Himanshu Mantri added 52-runs for the second wicket. The stand ended after spinner Mulani clean bowled Mantri for 37.

This brought Parth Sahani to the crease, who fell shortly for just five to Mulani.

Then arrived the MP’s best batter this season, Rajat Patidar. He joined Shubham on the mission to take his team to the target.

The duo did not have to toil for runs that hard. But Shubam Sharma was back to the pavilion for 30 when the team needed seven runs. He was caught by Armaan Jaffer who took a great diving catch off a Shams Mulani delivery.

Captain Aditya Shrivastava joined Patidar. The duo easily took their side to their maiden Ranji title, finishing at 108/4, with Shrivastava (1) and Patidar (30). Patidar hit the winning runs for MP, sending his team into ecstasy.

Earlier batting first, Mumbai put up 374/10 on the board. Sarfaraz Khan (134), Yashasvi Jaiswal (78) and Prithvi Shaw (47) played crucial knocks for Mumbai. Pacer Gaurav Yadav was the star for MP with the ball, taking 4/106 while his pace partner Anubhav Agarwal took 3/81.

In the second innings of the match, Madhya Pradesh were absolutely dominant with the bat, putting on a massive 536/10 on the board and gaining a 162-run lead. Yash Dubey (133), Shubham Sharma (116) and Rajat Patidar (122) were the key stars for MP with their centuries.

Shams Mulani was the key bowler for Mumbai, taking 5/173 while medium-pacer Tushar Deshpande took 3/116.

Following Mumbai’s 269/10 in the third innings, MP were given a target of 108 to win their maiden title.

Brief Scores: Mumbai 374 and 269 (Suved Parkar 51, Sarfaraz Khan 45, Kumar Kartikeya 4/98) lost to Madhya Pradesh 536 and 108/4 (Himanshu Mantri 37, Rajat Patidar 30*, Shams Mulani 3/41) by six wickets.

Tripura bypolls: BJP bags 3 out of 4 seats, CM Manik Saha wins from Bardowali

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ANI

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June 26, 2022

manik saha, tripura, tripura bjp, bjp, cm Manik Saha — Image: Agency

Tripura Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manik Saha won the assembly poll from the Town Bardowali constituency by a margin of 6,104 votes, the Election Commission said. BJP has bagged victory on three out of four seats in the Tripura bypolls while the Congress won one seat.

Congress candidate Sudip Roy Barman won from Agartala seat by 3,163 votes. The BJP won Town Bordowali, Jubarajnagar and Surma seats respectively.

The bypolls in Tripura were crucial for Manik Saha who replaced Biplab Kumar Deb last month. The dentist-turned politician himself was a candidate and fought his first-ever direct election to save his CM seat. The bypolls were necessitated in these seats due to the resignations of the legislators in two seats, disqualification of an MLA in one, and the death of one of the MLAs midterm.

Saha was sworn in as the chief minister of Tripura on May 15. The BJP decided on leadership change in the state a year ahead of the Assembly elections by replacing Biplab Kumar Deb with Saha as the Chief Minister. After Manik Saha was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Tripura, the BJP has once again taken recourse to its old mantra to beat anti-incumbency by changing the face in a poll-bound state.

Saha joined the BJP in 2016 after quitting Congress. He was made party chief in 2020 and elected to Rajya Sabha in March this year. Meanwhile, BJP national president JP Nadda congratulated Manik Saha on his victory in the elections.

Taking to Twitter, Nadda wrote, “Congratulations to CM Shri @DrManikSaha2 for winning the assembly poll from his constituency and to all @BJP4Tripura leaders for winning 3 out of 4 seats in the bypolls. This is the result of your hardwork and the faith of the people in the vision of Hon. PM Shri @narendramodi,” Nadda tweeted.

Security personnel stationed outside of Sada Sarvankar’s son’s Shiv Sena MLA office

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ANI

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June 26, 2022

Police Security — Security personnel stationed outside of Sada Sarvankar's son's Shiv Sena MLA office 9

Amid the ongoing political turmoil in Maharashtra, security forces has been deployed outside the office of Samadhan Sada Sarvankar, son of rebel Shiv Sena MLA, Sada Sarvankar.

Earlier today, Shiv Sena workers held ‘joote maro andolan’ against rebel Shiv Sena MLAs in Pune, Maharashtra, today.

Meanwhile, in Mumbai, Shiv Sena workers held bike rallies to protest against the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs outside the Saamana office.

On the other hand, supporters of rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde blackened posters of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in Thane on Sunday.

The political turbulence in Maharashtra was triggered by the faction war in Shiv Sena after Minister Eknath Shinde flew to Surat with some MLAs and then to Guwahati where he claims of having the support of 38 MLAs of the 55 Shiv Sena legislators, which is more than two-thirds of the party’s strength in the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. It means that they can either leave and form another political party or merge with another without being disqualified from the state assembly. According to sources, Maharashtra deputy speaker Narhari Zirwal has sent notices to the 16 Shiv Sena rebel MLAs. The MLAs have to be present in Mumbai on Monday for the hearing of disqualification.

Notably, Zirwal has earlier approved the appointment of Ajay Choudhary as Shiv Sena Legislature Party leader, replacing Shinde, the state cabinet minister who rebelled against the Shiv Sena leadership.

Zirwal also turned down the Shinde camp’s suggestion to appoint rebel Shiv Sena MLA Bharat Gogawale as the chief whip of the legislature party in place of Sunil Prabhu.

Interestingly, the Shinde faction named their group as ‘Shiv Sena Balasaheb’.

The naming of the group after the name of the Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray attracted sharp reactions from the Uddhav faction as the Chief Minister said that those who left the party should not seek votes in the name of the party founder.

Earlier on Saturday, rebel MLA Chimanrao Patil on Saturday expressed dissatisfaction over Shiv Sena’s alliance with its “traditional rival” parties, Congress and NCP and said that they had urged Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to stitch a “natural alliance”.

The leader, however, added that there was no response from the Chief Minister which is why Eknath Shinde, who is leading the faction, “took a stand”.

“We are traditionally the rivals of NCP and Congress, they are our primary challengers in constituencies. We requested CM Uddhav Thackeray that natural alliance should be done,” said Shiv Sena rebel MLA Chimanrao Patil in a video tweeted by Eknath Shinde.

Patil claimed that the faction has the support of two-thirds of the Shiv Sena MLAs along with 10 independents.

The Uddhav Thackeray faction recently submitted a plea before the Maharashtra Assembly deputy speaker to disqualify 12 rebel MLAs.

The Shiv Sena national executive meeting chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray adopted six resolutions as the political crisis deepens in Maharashtra.

“We strongly condemn the treachery that a few Shiv Sena legislators have displayed and express that the party and its organisation is strongly standing behind party leader Uddhav Thackeray. The party gives all the rights to Thackeray to exercise control over the emerging scenario and to implement decisions required for the same,” the resolution read.

“The national executive expresses its pride in the work Uddhav Thackeray has done as the chief minister of Maharashtra and the fame that he has earned for his taking care of the Maharashtra populace during Covid,” read the second resolution adopted by the national executive.

According to another resolution, Shiv Sena and Bal Thackeray are two sides of the same coin which are inseparable. Hence, besides Shiv Sena, no one else can use Balasaheb’s name.

Another resolution, Shiv Sena has always stayed true to Hindutva, the idea of a united Maharashtra and Marathi Asmita.

As rebels continue to camp in Guwahati, some of their offices were vandalised allegedly by Shiv Sena workers in Maharashtra.

Following this, Shinde on Saturday wrote to Uddhav Thackeray over the alleged ‘malicious’ withdrawal of security of family members of the 38 MLAs camping with him in the Guwahati hotel.

People defeated BJP’s dirty politics and appreciated AAP’s good work: Kejriwal on Rajinder Nagar bypoll

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PTI

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June 26, 2022

arvind kejriwal, kejriwal, aap, aam aadmi party, punjab elections, rs 1000 — People defeated BJP's dirty politics and appreciated AAP's good work: Kejriwal on Rajinder Nagar bypoll 11

As the Aam Aadmi Party won the Rajinder Nagar Assembly by-poll in Delhi, its national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday called it a defeat of the BJP’s ”dirty politics” and thanked people for appreciating the work done by his party’s government in the national capital. The Aam Aadmi Party’s Durgesh Pathak on Sunday defeated BJP candidate Rajesh Bhatia by a margin of over 11,000 votes in the bypoll, officials said.

”All 16 rounds of counting have been completed. AAP candidate Durgesh Pathak has defeated his immediate rival Rajesh Bhatia (of BJP) by a margin of over 11,000 votes,” Delhi Chief Electoral Officer Ranbir Singh said. Thanking the people, Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi, “Heartfelt thanks to the people of Rajendra Nagar. I am grateful for the immense affection and love of the people of Delhi. This inspires us to work harder and serve.”

“People defeated their dirty politics and appreciated our good work. Thank you, Rajendra Nagar, thank you Delhi,” he added. As Pathak headed towards winning the seat with a comfortable margin, congratulatory messages began pouring in with senior AAP leader and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia saying the poll results show that Kejriwal lives in the hearts of the people.

“Many many congratulations to my dear brother @ipathak25 (Durgesh Pathak) on being elected MLA from Rajendra Nagar Vidhan Sabha. Congratulations to all the workers of AAP for the victory,” Sisodia tweeted in Hindi. “In the heart of the people of Delhi, @ArvindKejriwal Ji lives,” he added.

According to official data, AAP’s Pathak polled 40,319 votes, while his nearest rival Bhatia managed to get 28,851 votes. The victory margin was 11,468 votes.

Congress contender Prem Lata could get only 2,014 votes in the bypoll.

The poll panel is yet to come out with the final voting figures. The bypoll to the crucial assembly seat had taken place on June 23 with a low turnout of 43.75 percent. Fourteen candidates threw their hats in the fray, which has largely been seen as a battle between a confident AAP and a spirited BJP. The counting of votes had begun at 8 am amid tight security arrangements.

Azam Khan’s stronghold loses, as the BJP unfurls a lotus in SP stronghold Rampur: UP bypolls

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ANI

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June 26, 2022

Ghanshyam Singh Lodhi candidate of Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) won the Lok Sabha bypoll in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh on Sunday. the bastion of Samajwadi Party (SP) big shot Azam Khan.

In Rampur, BJP had fielded Ghanshyam Singh Lodhi who recently joined the party. Whereas, SP candidate Asim Raja was handpicked by Azam Khan. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) did not contest from Rampur.

“I dedicate my victory to the workers of the party. They have been working continuously day and night. I want to thank the people of Rampur. BJP has always been working for the development of the public,” BJP’s winning candidate Lodhi said.

“History being made. BJP wins Rampur LS by-election by 37,797 votes. Azamgarh is also about to win. The death knell to communal, divisive, minority appeasement politics. The mandate for Politics of Vikas practised by PM Narendra Modi ably assisted by CM Yogi Adityanath,” said BJP national general secretary BL Santhosh.

“We have won in Rampur. We’re also ahead of others in Azamgarh. I’d like to thank the voters who’re handing us this victory based on PM Modi’s numerous welfare schemes and the performance of the CM,” said Brajesh Pathak, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister.

“People are sick and tired of the Samajwadi Party. People don’t want any more riots. They want peace. They want development,” he added.

Rampur Lok Sabha seat went vacant by the resignation of veteran SP leader Azam Khan after he was elected to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly in the recently held state election.

Khan was elected MP from Rampur seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Meanwhile, in Azamgarh, BJP candidate Dinesh Lala Yadav Nirhua, a Bhojpuri actor-singer is leading with votes. SP fielded Dharmendra Yadav and BSP fielded Shah Alam, popularly known as Guddu Jamali in the Azamgarh seat.

The vacancy in the Lok Sabha seat have been created by the resignation of former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav after he was elected an MLA in recently held state Assembly polls.

Gujarat Police arrests Teesta Setalvad; says ‘not cooperating’, seeks 14-day custody

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ANI

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June 26, 2022

teesta-setalvad, teesta, gujarat police, ats, gujarat ats — Image: PTI

The Gujarat Police Crime Branch on Sunday arrested Teesta Setalvad in connection with a case on her NGO which gave baseless information about the 2002 Gujarat riots to the police. The Gujarat Police will produce her in the court at 3 pm today and will seek 14-days of custody as she is not cooperating in the investigation.

The action came after Union Minister Amit Shah in an interview with ANI said that Teesta Setalvad-run NGO gave baseless information about the 2002 Gujarat riots to the police. “Former IPS officer RB Sreekumar was arrested yesterday and Teesta Setalvad was arrested today. Forging of evidence and hindering with evidence will be looked into. We will produce both the accused in the court by 3 pm,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Chaitanya Mandlik.

“The accused are not supporting us in the investigation. We are demanding 14 days of custody. Teesta will be produced in front of the Magistrate and all her statements will be recorded there. We are getting the documents arranged from various sources,” said the DCP. He further said that as of now the investigation is at a primary level and later strict actions will be taken once the investigation is done.

“We have done the medical check-up, and the due process was followed by the Crime Branch. The investigation is at a primary level, strict actions will be taken once the investigation is done. We have the primary affidavits and documents submitted by accused,” he added. Earlier in the day, Setalvad was taken for a medical checkup at Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad.

“They have done my medical. I have a big bruise on my hand, this is what the ATS did to me. They are taking me to the magistrate’s court,” said Teesta Setalvad had said after the medical checkup. On Saturday, Gujarat Anti-terrorism Squad (ATS) team detained Setalvad from Mumbai in connection with a case on her NGO and later in the night she was taken to Ahmedabad.

The Gujarat ATS team took Teesta Setalvad to the Santacruz police station yesterday. “I have read the judgement very carefully. The judgement clearly mentions the name of Teesta Setalvad. The NGO that was run being run by her – I don’t remember the name of the NGO- had given baseless information about the riots to the police,” Amit Shah, in an exclusive interview, told ANI.

The Supreme Court had on Friday, dismissed as “devoid of merit” an appeal by Zakia Jafri in a plea challenging SIT’s clean chit to the then chief minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi and others in cases related to the riots. Zakia Jafri is the widow of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri who was killed in the riots. Asked about his mention of NGOs, Shah said: “I have read the judgment hurriedly but it clearly states the name of Teesta Setalvad. It was Setalvad’s NGO that gave an application involving BJP workers in every police station and the pressure by the media was so immense that every application was treated as truth.”

A three-judge bench of the apex court headed by Justice AM Khanwilkar, upholding the Special Investigation Team or SIT’s 2012 clean chit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was the then chief minister of Gujarat, in the Gujarat riots case, said that Setalvad, co-petitioner in the case, exploited the emotions of Zakia Jafri. “All those involved in such abuse of process need to be in the dock and proceeded with in accordance with the law,” the judges said, adding that the appeal was filed under “dictation of someone.”

“Antecedents of Teesta Setalvad need to be reckoned with and also because she has been vindictively persecuting this lis [dispute] for her ulterior design by exploiting the emotions and sentiments of Zakia Jafri, the real victim of the circumstances,” the top court said in its order. The case pertains to what came to be known as Gulbarg Society incident, in which 68 people, including former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, were killed in the riots triggered by the burning of a train coach in which 59 people perished in February 2002.

A decade later, the SIT report, exonerated Narendra Modi, citing “no prosecutable evidence” in the Gulbarg Society case. On Friday, upholding the SIT clearance, the top court dismissed the petition filed by Zakia Jafri, saying that the plea was “to keep the pot boiling, obviously, for ulterior design.”

The SIT had opposed the plea of Jafri saying there is a sinister plot behind the complaint to probe the “larger conspiracy” behind the 2002 Gujarat riots and the original complaint by Jafri was directed by social activist Setalvad, who had also challenged an October 2017 order of the Gujarat High Court refusing to reopen the closure report of the SIT.

“The protagonists of the quest for justice sitting in a comfortable environment in their air-conditioned office may succeed in connecting failures of the state administration at different levels during such a horrendous situation, little knowing or even referring to the ground realities and the continual effort put in by the duty holders in controlling the spontaneous evolving situation unfolding aftermath mass violence across the state,” the Supreme Court said.