Amit Shah lied in Parliament over Farooq Abdullah’s detention: CPI(M) leader
CPI(M) leader Mohammed Salim accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of lying on the floor of Parliament over the issue of National Conference (NC) leader Farooq Abdullah’s detention in Kashmir in the wake of abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution.
In a tweet, the Left leader attached a video grab of Mr. Shah in Parliament last month, in which the Home Minister said Mr. Abdullah was neither detained nor arrested.
On September 15 night, the Ministry of Home Affairs detained the 81-year-old patron of the National Conference under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA).
Mr. Abdullah, a former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, was under house arrest since August 5, when the Centre announced abrogation of the special status given to the state under Article 370 and its bifurcation into Union Territories.
“Amit Shah lied on the floor of the parliament claiming that Farooq Abdullah didn’t come to Lok Sabha on his own will but today we all know that Mr. Abdullah had been under detention since 4 August, under the draconian PSA. Does India’s Home Minister has any credibility today?” Salim tweeted. — PTI
Furnish figures of jobs given to north Indians in last 5 years: Priyanka Gandhi asks Gangwar
Stepping up its attack on Union minister Santosh Gangwar for saying that recruiters complain of lack of “quality people” in north India, the Congress on Monday demanded an apology from him, while its general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra asked him to provide figures for jobs given to people from that region in the last five years.
The Congress general secretary also posted a video of the interaction in Bareilly, held on Saturday, during which Gangwar said that recruiters complain of paucity of “quality people” in north India for the posts they wish to fill. The minister represents Bareilly constituency in the Lok Sabha.
At the Congress briefing, party leader Rajiv Shukla said the minister’s remarks that “youth of north India are not employable is a very big insult to them. The government and the minister concerned should clarify their position. The minister should apologise or should say that this is the policy of the government.”
“Mr. Minister, you have said such a big thing, so please also give the figures now. How many jobs you have given in the last five years and 100 days? How many jobs you have given to north Indians in the last five years? How many jobs were given under the skill India programme?” Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.
“Do remember that figures of job losses are with the people,” she added.
“Mr. Minister, it has been more than five years of your government. There is no job creation. Whatever jobs were there, they have been snatched due to the economic slowdown brought by the government. You want to escape by insulting north Indians,” she added. - PTI
West Bengal BJP in a fix over Amit Shah's Hindi remarks
The West Bengal BJP is in a fix over party president Amit Shah pitching for Hindi and is unable to openly support the statement fearing that it might dent the party’s increasing mass base in the State.
The State BJP unit is apprehensive that the issue might snowball into a major political issue as Trinamool Congress went hammer and tongs on Mr. Shah’s Hindi Divas tweet accusing the saffron party of pushing its policy of imposing Hindi, sources in it said.
Mr. Shah had on Saturday pitched for a common language for the country and said as Hindi is spoken the most it can unite the whole country.
“Actually we can neither openly vouch for nor oppose it (Shah’s statement). If we support it then we will be branded anti-Bengalis and anti-Bengali language and this might have an adverse impact on our expansion in the State. Besides, opposing Amit Shahji’s statement is not possible for us,” a senior state BJP leader said. - PTI
Won't compromise on importance of Kannada in the State, says Yediyurappa
It was Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa's turn to show resistance on 'one country, one language' idea.
"All official languages in our country are equal. However, as far as Karnataka is concerned, Kannada is the principal language. We will never compromise its importance and are committed to promote Kannada and our state's culture," Mr. Yediyurappa tweeted from the CMO handle.
Union Home Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party national president Amit Shah’s tweet on Hindi Divas, saying Hindi was the only language that can unify the country, drew widespread condemnation in the State.
While the Congress saw it as a sinister agenda, JD(S) reminded the Centre of the federal structure. The Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) and other Kannada organisations even held a protest rally on Saturday.
However, the Karnataka BJP sought to downplay it by saying Mr. Shah's remarks were misinterpreted.
Want to reach out to common people in J&K: Azad
As the Supreme Court allowed him to visit four districts of Jammu and Kashmir, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad has said it will be a “humanitarian” trip to reach out to common people and he will submit a report to the apex court on his return.
“For those lakhs of people, I had put in this request because the state government has put all representatives, party leaders from Kashmir Valley and also in Jammu under detention,” he said, asserting that no BJP leader had been detained.
“They (politicians) cannot raise their voice so who will speak for the people. The government is not bothered about this section, so I put in the request before the Supreme Court,” the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha told reporters.
“I am thankful to Supreme Court for permitting me to travel to Srinagar, Baramulla, Anantnag and Jammu districts. Whatever report I get from there I will present it before the Supreme Court and probably then they can tell the government if there is a way to arrange for food for these people,” he said.
At heart I feel ‘74 years young’: Chidambaram says on his birthday
Greetings from well-wishers make him feel “74 years young”, Congress leader P. Chidambaram, in jail on charges of corruption, said through his family on his birthday on Monday, and added that his thoughts on the day are on the economy.
Birthday wishes for Chidambaram, who is in judicial custody in Tihar jail in connection with alleged corruption in clearances given to INX Media when he was Finance Minister, came from his party colleagues as well as his son Karti Chidambaram. The veteran Congress leader thanked everybody and said his spirits had lifted higher.
“I have asked my family to tweet on my behalf the following:
My family have brought me greetings from friends, party colleagues and well-wishers. I am reminded that I am 74 years old. Indeed I am, but at heart I feel 74 years young. Thank you all, my spirits have been lifted higher,” he said on Twitter.
In another tweet, he said his thoughts today are about the country’s economy.
”... Just one statistic tells the story. Export growth in August was -6.05%. No country has achieved GDP growth of 8% without exports growing at 20% a year,” he said.
“May God bless this country,” he added.
His party colleague Jairam Ramesh said Chidambaram is going through an “agnipariksha” and will come out of it vindicated.
“Today PC turns 74. It is an agnipariksha he is going through but he will come out of it vindicated. I have worked very closely with him since 1986 and it has been a great privilege and education doing so. My thoughts are with him,” he tweeted.
Party leader K.C. Venugopal also sent his greetings on Twitter.
“Being challenged in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional. I am sure that the vendetta politics can’t defeat you. Happy Birthday to P. Chidambaram.”
The Mahila Congress referenced tennis ace Rafael Nadal.
“Following his US Open victory, Rafael Nadal said, ‘The emotions sometimes are impossible to control and I tried to resist but it was difficult,’.. Happy Birthday to @PChidambaram_IN ji“.
In a letter to his father on his 74th birthday, Karti informed his father about events since he was was put in jail and used the opportunity to take swipes at the BJP government.
“You are 74 years old and no 56-inch can stop you,” Karti wrote to his father as he wished him on his birthday.
Chidambaram has been lodged in Tihar jail since September 5 by a Delhi court in connection with the INX Media corruption case.
”...your birthday is not the same without you with us. We miss you, and your absence tugs at our hearts, and we wish you were back home to cut the cake with us. But of course, in today’s day and age, turning 74 is nothing compared to turning 100 days old,” Karti said in the letter.
The BJP government, he added, celebrates its “unpropitious second innings” and couldn’t have possibly found a better time to silence his father.
Chidambaram has been lodged in Tihar Jail since September 5 by a Delhi court in connection with the INX Media corruption case. - PTI
Special gesture: PM Modi on Trump joining him at Indian community event in Houston
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 16 said the “special gesture” of U.S. President Donald Trump to join the Indian community programme in Houston signifies special friendship between the two countries.
Pat on the hand: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with President Donald Trump at a meeting in Biarritz | File
In a series of tweets, the prime minister said he looks forward to joining the Indian origin community in welcoming Trump at the programme.
“A special gesture by @POTUS, signifying the special friendship between India and USA! Delighted that President @realDonaldTrump will join the community programme in Houston on the 22nd. Looking forward to joining the Indian origin community in welcoming him at the programme.,” the Prime Minister wrote on Twitter.
More than 50,000 Indian-Americans from across the US have registered for the September 22 “Howdy, Modi! Shared Dreams, Bright Futures” event to be held at the NRG Stadium in Houston.
“Howdy”, short for ‘How do you do?’, is a friendly greeting commonly used in southwestern United States.
NRC will be compiled in Haryana too: CM Khattar
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday said that like in Assam, a National Register of Citizens (NRC) will be made in Haryana. Mr. Khattar was speaking to the media after meeting Justice (retired) H.S. Bhalla, former chairman of the Haryana Human Rights Commission.
The Chief Minister also met former Admiral J.S. Lamba and Lt. Gen. Baljit Singh Jaiswal (retired) under the party’s ‘Maha Sampark Abhiyan’ — an outreach programme to get feedback on the work of the government in the last five years. It concluded on Sunday.
22 Maharashtra MLAs switch parties since 2014 elections
The existing Assembly has witnessed 22 MLAs switching their political parties from which they had won the elections in 2014. Of them, 17 are sitting MLAs from the Opposition, who joined either the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or Shiv Sena. The defection started with former Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil joining the BJP before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Only two legislators — one each from the BJP and Sena — have shifted to the Opposition. Katol’s former BJP MLA Ashish Deshmukh and Suresh Dhanorkar, former Sena MLA from Varora in Chandrapur, joined the Congress before the general elections. Mr. Dhanorkar is now the lone Congress MP from Maharashtra.
(With inputs from Agencies)
