Author: tind.posting

The home of the former governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Satyapal Malik, has been searched by the CBI. Regarding the Kiru Hydroelectric Project contract, the CBI has taken this action.

The agency has conducted raids at thirty locations that are associated with them. The information claims that there was corruption in the project’s contract awarding process, and the CBI team visited the former governor’s home as part of their investigation. Malik was the one who first reported this fraud. In this case, CBI had filed a case.

A private company was awarded a civil work contract for this project in 2019 that was estimated to be worth around Rs 2,200 crore. This contract is said to have been a scam. In this instance, the CBI had also conducted numerous raids in December. These individuals included the raided Kanwaljit Singh Duggal and DP Singh, who were connected to the company. In an interview, Malik claimed that he was also offered Rs 200 crore in exchange for approving two files, one of which was the project at hand, but he turned it down.

Jammu and Kashmir was governed by Satyapal Malik from August 23, 2018, to October 30, 2019. He claimed that during this time, he received the project file and an offer of bribes totaling Rs 300 crore, which he had to approve. In this instance, the agency has taken into custody former officials M.S. and Naveen Kumar Chaudhary, the former chairman of Chenab Valley Power Project Private Limited. A case has been filed against Patel Engineering, Babu, M.K. Mittal, and Arun Kumar Mishra.

Accusations based on which the search took place

According to CBI sources, the agency searched Malik’s home in search of some evidence pertaining to this case. This case is being looked into by the CBI since April 2022. Kishtwar is 42 kilometres away from Kiru Project. The government of Jammu and Kashmir had asked the CBI to look into the situation on April 20, 2022. It is claimed that when contracts for this project are being awarded, a decision was made not to invite e-tenders. This was allegedly done to allow for the awarding of the contract to be fraudulently obtained.

The Karnataka Congress government is getting ready to implement taxes on temples. ‘Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Bill 2024’, which was introduced in the state assembly, has also been passed in relation to this. ‘Anti-Hindu’ is how the Bharatiya Janata Party has described the Karnataka government. The party claims that by taxing temples, Congress is attempting to replenish its empty coffers.

Congress, according to the BJP, is implementing anti-Hindu policies. The Karnataka Assembly passed a bill on Wednesday that allows the government to implement tax on temples that bring in more than Rs 1 crore a year at a rate of 10%. Additionally, it has been stated that temples earning between Rs. 10 lakh to Rs. 1 crore must pay 5% tax.

Vijayendra Yediyurappa called Congress to be ‘anti-hindu’

Son of former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, state president of the BJP, Vijayendra Yediyurappa, declared, “The Congress government, which is continuously adopting anti-Hindu policies in the state.” The Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Bill 2024 was passed in order to replenish the depleted treasury, and it now has its sights set on the income from Hindu temples.

“Under this, temples with income exceeding Rs 1 crore will pay 10 percent tax to the government,” he stated. Poverty is all that exists here. The temple’s renovation and the devotees’ comfort should be the recipients of the offerings made to the Lord by the faithful. He questioned why the targets were limited to Hindu temples. 

On this, Congress has also taken offence. Ramalinga Reddy, a minister in the state government, has charged the BJP with influencing politics through religion. He asserted that the Congress is the real Hindutva ally.

For the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, the Samajwadi Party and the Congress finalised a seat-sharing agreement on Wednesday, putting an end to days of tension and squabbling between the two allies of the INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) bloc. While revealing the specifics of seat sharing, Avinash Pande, the Congress UP incharge, stated that Priyanka Gandhi was instrumental in bringing about a consensus.

The agreement states that the Congress will receive 17 seats and the Samajwadi Party and other allies from INDIA will compete for 63 seats in the UP. “I am delighted to tell you that it has been decided that in Uttar Pradesh the Congress will contest on 17 seats and the remaining 63 seats will have candidates of INDIA bloc – SP and other parties,” Avinash Pande stated.

According to Naresh Uttam Patel, the state president of the Samajwadi Party, “Akhilesh Yadav and Mallikarjun Kharge have done something that people of India needed and wanted for a long time.”

All is well that ends well – Akhilesh Yadav

Asserting the alliance with the Congress earlier today, Akhilesh Yadav, the chief of the SP, stated, “All is well that ends well.” With this, the animosity between the two parties that had prevented Akhilesh Yadav from participating in Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in the state came to an end. The chief of the SP had maintained that he would only participate in the yatra if a seat-sharing agreement with the Congress was finalised. Akhilesh is probably going to follow Rahul Gandhi since he is still in the state on his yatra.

As negotiations with the establishment party came to a standstill, the Samajwadi Party also unveiled three lists of candidates. Akhilesh responded, “Everything works out in the end,” when questioned about his comments criticising the grand old party. Indeed, an alliance is planned. There’s no disagreement. Everything will soon be resolved.”

The Congress was initially offered 11 seats by the SP, but later received a larger offer of 17. But the old party insisted on having three extra seats. Uttar Pradesh has 80 seats in the Lok Sabha. The Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party tied for five seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. In contrast, Sonia Gandhi’s seat in Rae Bareli was the only one that the Congress was able to take. The ancient party suffered a severe blow when Smriti Irani of the BJP defeated Rahul Gandhi in Amethi, the party’s stronghold. The sharp drop in the party’s vote share in the state is another concern for Congress. In comparison, the Congress party received 7.47% of the vote in 2014; in 2019, its vote share was 6.31%.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Samajwadi Party witnessed a decrease in its vote share from 22.18% in 2014 to 17.96%. With Jayant Choudhary’s Rashtriya Lok Dal poised to join the BJP-led NDA, Akhilesh Yadav has already lost a significant ally in the state. Although neither party has officially announced the decision, Jayant had already verified the action when PM Modi declared Chaudhary Charan Singh to be the recipient of the Bharat Ratna.

Seats where Congress will contest in UP

Rae Bareli, Amethi, Kanpur Nagar, Fatehpur Sikri, Bansgaon, Saharanpur, Prayagraj, Maharajganj, Varanasi, Amroha, Jhansi, Bulandshahr, Ghaziabad, Mathura, Sitapur, Barabanki and Deoria.

During the saffron party’s protest against the Sandeshkhali incident, Suvendu Adhikari, the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s opposition in the assembly, allegedly called a Sikh Indian Police Service (IPS) officer posted in West Bengal in a video that went viral on social media on Tuesday. Adhikari’s remarks sparked a significant national political scandal.

As Adhikari’s BJP lawmakers attempted to enter Sandeshkhali hamlet in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, he abruptly accused Jaspreet Singh, an IPS officer, of being a “Khalistani.” Singh works in the Basirhat police station in West Bengal as the Special Superintendent of Police (SSP), Intelligence Branch (IB).

Opposition parties immediately attacked the BJP for its “anti-minority” stance and use of slurs after the video went popular on social media.

Agnimitra Paul, the MLA for Asansol South, and Adhikari, two BJP leaders, are seen disputing with the police in the video. The BJP is in the dark about the incident; its Punjabi leadership is silent.

Singh said in an interview with The Wire that he was on duty at the Basirhat police station in Sandeshkhali hamlet at the time of the event.

“We attempted to prevent a group of politicians (BJP legislators) led by Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, from entering Sandeshkhali because Section 144 CrPC was in effect at the time. Suvendu Adhikari referred to me as “Khalistani” when we stopped the politicians, which was completely inappropriate. I vehemently objected to this,” he stated.

The BJP leader backed off and women leaders took the lead when the 2016-batch IPS officer from Faridabad, Haryana, confronted Adhikari. He stated, “That’s when Suvendu Adhikari went behind and sat there.”

With increasing numbers of incidents of violence against Sikhs, Singh addressed a message to Sikhs in particular, asking them not to see themselves as “victims” or “helpless.” “Instead, possess the ability and fortitude to defend not just your own rights and dignity but also those of others,” he said.

“We anticipate taking legal action shortly. Legal action will be taken in accordance with the law, and our police team is reviewing the video footage,” Singh stated.

According to Singh, the police permitted the BJP lawmakers to enter Sandeshkhali between 12.30 and 1 pm, following the directives of the West Bengal high court.

This incident happened at a time when farmers, many of whom are Sikh, were already being called out on social media and facing attacks as they travelled to Delhi for the “Delhi Chalo” protest. On the social media platform X, “Khalistanis” has been trending since the start of the Delhi Chalo morcha on February 13.

The video

In the footage, Singh is seen angrily addressing MLA Agnimitra Paul about the slur, saying, “I will take action on this,” while standing in the throng. Did you call me a Khalistani just because I wore a turban? You are not permitted to discuss my religion. Has anyone discussed your religion with others? So why did you make a religious comment about me?

The policeman then yelled at Paul, “You are the only one making comments about religion; nobody else is.” Will anyone in the police department who dons a turban be taken for a Khalistani? Don’t bring up my faith; I’m not talking about yours. You call me a Khalistani? How dare you! Is this what you’re at?

“We the West Bengal Police fraternity are outraged to share the video, where one of our own officers was called ‘Khalistani’ by the state’s Leader of Opposition,” the police said in a statement on X, taking note of the incident. His “fault” is that he was attempting to uphold the law while simultaneously being a proud Sikh and a skilled police officer.

“The remark incites communal harmony while also being hateful and racially charged. That is illegal behaviour. The police statement said, “We categorically condemn the unwarranted, unacceptable attack on an individual’s religious identity and beliefs intended to incite people to take to violence and break the law.” “Serious legal action has been filed.”

Political figures criticise BJP

Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, took a hard stance against the BJP, writing on X, “Today the BJP has shamelessly overstepped constitutional boundaries with its divisive politics.” Everybody wearing a turban, according to the BJP, is a Khalistani.

“This bold attempt to damage the standing of our Sikh brothers and sisters, who are respected for their selflessness and sacrifices to our country, is something I strongly condemn.

“We will take strong legal action to stop any attempts to disturb Bengal’s social harmony, and we remain steadfast in our defence of it.”

The West Bengal ruling party, the All-India Trinamool Congress, posted a video of Sikh community members participating in a protest and writing on X: “Kisan Virodhi BJP, Sikh Virodhi BJP murdabaad.” Sikh community members protested outside the BJP headquarters, calling for an apology for the racial remarks made against an IPS officer who was on duty by none other than LoP Suvendu Adhikari.

Every man who dons a turban is considered a “Khalistani” by them. Express regret to @PM Narendra Modi.

The TMC also released a press statement in which it claimed that Adhikari had mislabeled an IPS officer who was on duty as a Khalistani on Tuesday, in an effort to upset the peace in Sandeshkhali and cause nationwide indignation. It stated, “This was an egregious disregard for the orders of the Calcutta High Court, which expressly forbade the leader from making divisive speeches in the areas.”

President of the AITC Mahila Wing Chandrima Bhattacharya earlier said at a press conference: “Prior to 2014, when the BJP came to power, the country had not seen this level of divisive politics.” Since then, the BJP has repeatedly used these strategies. They had used comparable strategies even amid the farmers’ demonstrations.

The president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami, wrote on X: “I am deeply offended by this incident.”

The deliberate defamation of Sikh IPS officer S. Jaspreet Singh’s character carried out by West Bengal BJP leaders is strongly condemned. Leaders in the nation who hold such views should never lose sight of the fact that Sikhs have given the greatest sacrifices in defence of the nation’s freedom.

Sikhs know how to serve the country in line with their traditions and customs; they don’t need a certificate from anyone.

Additionally, Dhami wrote, “It raises serious concerns that there are individuals in the nation who intentionally foster hatred and that the governments do nothing to stop them. To ensure that those who are genuinely carrying out their duties in other contexts are not subjected to such hatred, those who foster such an environment ought to face consequences.

Senior Congressman Partap Singh Bajwa, the leader of the opposition in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, added, “This is beyond shameful.” A Sikh IPS officer in West Bengal is being called a “Khalistani” by BJP workers simply for carrying out his official duties. Does the BJP view Sikhs in this way? Those attempting to incite this hooliganism and paint Sikhs as Khalistanis should be strongly opposed.

“Labelling a decorated Sikh Police officer as Khalistani who was performing bona fide duties as a police officer in West Bengal is strongly condemnable, highly objectionable, and a case of serious hate crime,” said Shiromani Akali Dal spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema, criticising the BJP earlier. The offender should be charged, and those found guilty should receive exemplary punishment.