Katju rebuts charges, says he has criticised Congress-ruled States too
Press Council of India (PCI) chairman Justice Markandey Katju on Sunday said Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arun Jaitley should quit politics and take ‘sanyas’ as he was not cut out for politics and was “twisting facts” and “talking nonsense.”
Responding to the sharp attack on him by Mr. Jaitley, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, the former judge of the Supreme Court said the criticism directed against him was “totally devoid of facts.”
Mr. Jaitley had criticised Mr. Katju, saying the latter’s choice of subjects and targets were motivated by his political preferences.
‘Twisting facts’
Reacting to this, Mr. Katju said: “Arun Jaitley is talking rubbish and he must take ‘sanyas’ from politics because he is not cut out for it. He is twisting facts. I have criticised Congress-ruled States as well. I sent notices to the Maharashtra government when two girls were arrested for their post on Facebook.”
Talking to The Hindu on Sunday night, Mr. Katju said he had written very strong letters to the Maharashtra Chief Minister when mediapersons were attacked and, similarly sent another strong letter to the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister when he had threatened to break the camera of a photojournalist.
“During protests in Delhi on the issue of gang-rape, I criticised the Delhi Police and only recently took up the issue of harassment of senior journalist Iftikhar Gilani. At all these places, there are Congress governments at the helm,” he said.
Retired judges’appointments
Mr. Katju said that under the National Democratic Alliance government when Mr. Jaitley was the Law Minister, dozens of appointments of retired Supreme Court judges were made. “Why he forgets all these appointments as well as of those former judges who were made Governors under the NDA regime?’’ he said.
The PCI chief said he had criticised the Narendra Modi government on two counts in his article — on the anti-Muslim riots of 2002, which cannot be forgiven and forgotten and on the claims of development. He said the test of development was if the standard of living of masses had improved or not. “Still 48 per cent of children in Gujarat are malnourished and 57 per cent of the population is living below poverty line. Is development meant only for business tycoons? Are businessmen only human beings and not anyone else?” he said.
Keywords: Narendra Modi, 2002 Gujarat communal violence, Narendra Modi government, religious freedom, Markandey Katju, Katju article, ArunJaitley
Yes. you seem to be perfectly cut for politics and is clearly evident in your rants against your opposition, the BJP
Katju if you are not biased, write down all the corruption or scams
done by present government.
With Mr Vajpayee taking political sanyas, the next in the command
Mr Advani should have been the automatic choice to head NDA/BJP
if at all NDA bags 273+ seats in 2014 elections.
Two things can be said against Advani. Architect of Babri Masjid
demolition and age factor. In fact, when Vajpayee, relatively
the most moderate face in BJP was the leader, it was Advani, who
was shamelessly appeasing the RSS and other fundamentalist
forces.
Much water has flown since then. Today, in comparison to Modi,
he appears the most moderate face. Modi has grown too big for
his boots. He should be shown his place. Age factor
notwithstanding, Advani should be the preferred choices. If,
Advani is not acceptable as a leader to BJP itself, leave alone
NDA, then Congress with dirtiest track record of corruption, is a
better option.
Justice Markandey Katju is not only known for his outspokenness in the
court but also for his vast knowledge on almost everything . Sometime
back ,he had stated that 90 per cent of Indians are fools, but clarified
that his intention was not to hurt anyone but to wake people to the ills
blighting the country. Nevertheless while in court Justice Katju had
asked the high court’s counsel, P.P. Rao, “Don’t force me to open my
mouth,” .How right he was !
Mr Katju's recents articles and statements were more political and well targetted than a free thought. This type of pseudo political stand is not good for no one.
He first disappointed me when I read his articles about Mr Anna, Kejariwal and his party.
India does not need advices.
While occupying the seat of the Chairman of the Press Council of India
is it right for Justice Katju to get his politically partisan article,
which is highly critical of a serving chief minister of a State,
published in a newspaper? For public personalities in India today there
seems to be no "don'ts" in the way they act or speak or write!
While I am in a dilemma on Modi as PM, I completely support Jaitley's criticism. Katju does seem quite supportive of Congress, which is quite evident from the frail examples of him attacking the Congress.
His "notices" to the Maharashtra government and "criticism of Delhi Police" are, at best, his criticism of the mismanagement or the poor governance. While, in case of Modi, he came down heavily and attacked the very moral material Modi is made of.
Katju could not claim political neutrality with these weak examples.
Justice Katju is an honorable jurist.He has told the truth which being
unpalatable has hit the BJP and it's sikhandi Modi where it hurts
most. Modi and BJP central leadership know it very well that Justice
Katju has spoken a profound truth. If 2002 was not an albatross around
the neck of Modi, why did he begged for forgiveness from the EU
Ambassadors and promised that such riots will never be repeated in
Gujrat? Modi has gift of gab and tremendous capacity of telling lies
through thousands of his paid agents on various social ans print
forums. But the truth is truth and it always prevails-Satyameva
Jayate.
I fully agree with Justice Markandey Katju.
Justice Katju is a Kashmiri Pandit by birth. Has he done anything
worthwhile, for his own clan, (i.e the displaced Pandits of Kashmir),
anytime, all throughout his life? If he has never even spoken, and not
done anything concrete ever about the plight of displaced Kashmiri
Pandits, now is the time for him to do so. He should spend his retired
life fighting for the cause of the displaced Kashmiri Pandits rather
than writing controversial articles about non-congress Governments in
the rest of India.
For an ex-Judge Justice Katju has indeed been quite vocal in his
pronouncements.As press council head his responsibility is primarily to
uphold the freedom of the press.His pronouncements on Gujarat and to an
extent on Bihar appear to be quite opinionated and and look more like
political statements rather than related to freedom of expression
No doubt he should be grateful to the government for post retirement
assignment but that need not find expression in political
pronouncements. Mr.Jaitly has got his point right on Justice Katju.
Mr. Katju stands among those few men left in India who can be called "Sir Katju". Every time, his replies are based on the facts and he deserves to be the CEO of India, not just judicial field. Salute his clarity, this jsutifiactions and morale!
Keep yourself fit Sir, as a selfish person I ask on behalf of people like me to keep going with your statements and motivate us to hold our morales by reminding us that the power with people like you, in used for good.
Disregarding Mr. Katju's remarks, I personally think Mr. Jaitly is more
suited for judiciary / excutive post and not for a political
appointment. He can be a good ambassador, represaentative in
international forum but cannot get PAN India acceptance as a political
leader.
The Katju syndrome is a classic instance of the way judges are being
used in this country. Long back, The London Review of Books carried an
article entitled "What are judges for" by Ferdinand MOunt " and
debated the subject. They are not, either during their service tenure
or thereafter to be used to pull out the chestnuts of govt. out of
fire. They are not to indulge in activities that are strictly meant
for politicians and civil servants. In other words a judicial
restraint not only in the court room but in living too should be
exhibited. Judged by this, Judge Katju has failed the test miserably.
Especially after reading this latest pronouncement of Katju, I feel
that he instead of Jaitley should take sanyas.
Justice Markandey Katju should be Prime Minister of India. He is a
competent leader who can take India forward to peace and prosperity.
I want to know why katju not criticising his own fellow judges.Even KG
Balakrishnan and over 20judges in ghaziabad/UP High court corrupt
involvement. Isn't narendra modi better than any of katju's fellow
judges &more honest?
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