India

New Delhi, Sep 25 (IANS) The Congress has called a meeting of its Rajasthan MLAs in Jaipur on Sunday and it is likely that they will be asked to name their preferences even as Sachin Pilot is emerging as the top choice of the party leadership.

Sources said the MLAs will be asked as to who could replace Ashok Gehlot. The observers will give the report to Sonia Gandhi and the change of guard could take place soon.

Meanwhile, reports are that the staunch supporters of the Gehlot camp have also spoken in favour of Sachin Pilot, with many going to the latter's residence.

After meeting them, Pilot left for Delhi, triggering further speculation that he was the top runner for Rajasthan CM's post.

In Delhi, hectic lobbying was on after Mallikarjun Kharge was appointed as Observer along with Ajay Maken, in-charge of Rajasthan

K.C. Venugopal said, "...Congress President has appointed Sh. Mallikarjun Kharge as Observer along with Sh. Ajay Maken, Gen. Secretary AICC, In-charge of Rajasthan, to attend the meeting of Congress Legislature Party (CLP) of Rajasthan Legislative Assembly slated to be held on 25th September at 7 PM."

--IANS
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Lucknow, Sep 25 (IANS) The BJP has questioned the authenticity of two video clips purportedly showing two BJP legislators inside the Uttar Pradesh Assembly -- one playing an online card game and the other consuming 'gutka'.

The videos were apparently shot during the recent monsoon session of the state Assembly that ended last week.

The video clips have been tweeted by the Samajwadi Party leaders.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in turn, has questioned the credibility of the SP and pointed out that the authenticity of the videos is yet to be ascertained.

Party spokesman Harish Chandra Srivastava said that the videos do not prove anything and that the SP leaders were levelling frivolous accusations.

Srivastava said, "Never seen a main opposition party so out of work. The authenticity of these videos is yet to be ascertained but the poor credibility of the SP is well known."

Samajwadi Party national spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said the way in which the BJP legislators are making a mockery of the Vidhan Sabha by consuming tobacco and playing card games. This projects the state Assembly in a poor light and undermines its dignity.

He further said, "The BJP legislator who has made this video and made it viral has done this in public interest. Now all eyes are on the chief minister to see when he will initiate action against the MLAs."

Two other opposition parties -- the Congress and the SP ally Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) -- too shared the videos and mocked the ruling BJP.

--IANS
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By Saiyed Moziz Imam Zaidi
New Delhi, Sep 25 (IANS) The coming week Congress leaders will be filing nomination papers for the presidential poll. It now seems that apart from Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari will throw his hat into the ring and some others may also join the fray.


While the Gandhis are likely to be neutral in the elections, party interim president Sonia Gandhi has asserted that the polls will be fair and she will not endorse any candidate.

Sources said that the issue of Rajasthan in the event of Gehlot joining national politics was also discussed, but there is no official word on it yet.

This will be the first election since 1998 that a non-Gandhi will be elected as party president. After Sonia Gandhi got elected for the first time defeating Jitendra Prasada, since then she was elected unopposed and in 2017, Rahul Gandhi was elected unopposed.

Gehlot said that Rahul Gandhi has refused to contest the party president's election and wants a non-Gandhi to be the party president. Gehlot said, "I will be filing nomination soon and it's the need of the hour that the opposition should be strong."

Gehlot will have to relinquish the post of Chief Minister if he gets elected as Rahul Gandhi has hinted that the Congress will adhere to the 'one man one post' formula as per the Udaipur declaration.

When asked he said "I think we have made a commitment in Udaipur and I hope that it will be maintained."

The Congress had reiterated that anyone can contest the party president's poll as it was a democratic and transparent process and no nod was required from the leadership.

Jairam Ramesh, party general secretary said, "It's important to reiterate that any member is welcome to contest for Congress president. This is a democratic and transparent process. Nobody needs anybody's nod to contest, especially that of the party leadership."

Jairam has also asked the spokespersons not to comment on any candidate as their duty is to highlight that the Congress is the only party which is conducting an election.

The direction comes a day after party spokesperson Gourav Vallabh openly supported the candidature of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

"We all have our individual preferences but our job is to highlight ONLY the following," he said in a message to AICC spokespersons, media panellists, office-bearers of the communications department.

He said that the Congress is the only political party to have a democratic and transparent system in place for election to the post of its president and this should be highlighted.

The Congress is the only political party in India to have an independent Election Authority to conduct organisational elections. A person wanting to contest needs no nod from anybody to do so except from 10 PCC delegates for filing the nomination form, he added.

The Congress' central election authority had issued a notification for the AICC president polls on September 22.

According to the notification, while the nomination forms will be available from Thursday, the filing of nominations will take place between September 24 and 30.

Scrutiny of the nominations will take place on October 1, and the same day, a valid candidate list will be published. The last date of withdrawal is October 8 following which, a final list will be brought out. While the poll will be held on October 17, counting will take place on October 19.

--IANS
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Ayodhya, Sep 25 (IANS) The Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government has invited the family of late singer Lata Mangeshkar for the inaugural ceremony of Lata Mangeshkar Smriti Chowk in Ayodhya's Naya Ghat on September 28.

As a special representative of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Ayodhya Development Authority Secretary Satyendra Singh served the invitation to Lata's sister Usha Mangeshkar and her other family members in Mumbai on Saturday.

A giant idol of a 'Veena', which is 40-feet-long, 12 metre high and weighs 14 ton, will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually on September 28 on the occasion of the singer's 93rd birth anniversary, in the physical presence of Adityanath.

Naya Ghat, the area situated on the banks of the Saryu river, will be a major attraction for tourists after its renaming as Lata Mangeshkar Smriti Chowk and installation of Veena with a budget of Rs 7.9 crore.

Developed by prominent sculptor and Padmashri awardee Ram Sutar, the idol, carved out of a giant rock, has engravings of goddess Sarasvati on it.

--IANS
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Patna, Sep 25 (IANS) Janata Dal-United (JD-U) National President Lalan Singh has claimed that Union Home Minister Amit Shah conspired against Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav in 2017 and framed him in the IRCTC scam in a bid to break the Mahagathbandhan alliance of JD-U and RJD in Bihar.

"It was a mistake that we broke the alliance with RJD and Mahagathbandhan in Bihar in 2017 but the real conspirator was Amit Shah. He conspired against Tejashwi Yadav and dragged his name in the IRCTC scam to break Mahagathbandhan in Bihar," Singh said.

"Amit Shah blamed Nitish Kumar for backstabbing BJP. I want to clarify that Amit Shah conspired against Nitish Kumar in 2017 when the latter was part of the Mahagathbandhan. Shah conspired and dragged the name of Tejashwi Yadav in the IRCTC scam and asked Nitish Kumar to leave Mahagathbandhan as they are facing corruption charges. The name of Tejashwi Yadav came in the IRCTC scam in 2017 and nothing has happened till 2022 when Nitish Kumar was part of an alliance with the BJP. When Nitish Kumar left the BJP, we saw in the newspapers that the bail of Tejashwi Yadav in that alleged scam was cancelled," the JD-U National President added.

"Why has the Narendra Modi government not done anything in this case in the last five years? Why Amit Shah made CBI a caged parrot in the country? Due to the wrongful act of the Central government, CBI has lost its credibility in the country," he said.

"Amit Shah pointed out wrong facts in the Purnia rally and asked people to clap on his speech. He said that the airport in Purnia is completed. The fact is he does not even know that the stone foundation of Purnia airport has not been laid down so far. The people of Purnia are well aware that the airport is not constructed there. Shah should clarify to the people when the Purnia airport was completed. He should stop cheating the people. You could imagine the future of a country whose Home Minister is a 'Jumlebaz'. Now, the people of the country have only one option to make 'BJP-Mukt Bharat' in 2024," Singh added.

Upendra Kushwaha, the JD-U parliamentary board President said: "The two top leaders of BJP -- Amit Shah and J.P. Nadda -- proved that they speak lies and their party is 'Badka Jhootha Party' (BJP).

"Amit Shah in Purnia said that the airport was built there which is a white lie. He should clarify where the airport is in Purnia? J.P. Nadda, the National President of his party said in Madurai that the AIIMS is completed there. The land acquired for the construction of AIIMS in Madurai is just a vacant plot. No construction is there. The statements of Shah and Nadda proved that BJP is a 'Badka Jhootha Party' in the country. Its leaders lie and mislead the people of the country," Kushwaha added.

--IANS
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By Arul Louis
United Nations, Sep 25 (IANS) India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar called for 'zero tolerance' for terrorism and warned that those who prevent UN sanctions against terrorists "do so at their own peril".


"Having borne the brunt of cross-border terrorism for decades, India firmly advocates a a 'zero tolerance' approach," he said on Saturday at the high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly.

Without directly naming Pakistan or its protector China, he added, "Those who politicise the UNSC 1267 Sanctions regime, sometimes to the extent of defending proclaimed terrorists, do so at their own peril."

The UNSC 1267 Sanctions regime is the procedure for imposing sanctions based on the Security Council resolution with that number.

China has been blocking sanctions against Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) leader Sajid Mir, involved in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, Jaish-e Mohammed (JEM) leader Abdul Rauf Azhar, and Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) leader Abdul Rehman Makki.

Before relenting under international pressure, China had blocked sanctions against LeT leader Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, who is the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack in which nearly 175 people died.

"There is no justification for any act of terrorism, regardless of motivation. And no rhetoric, however sanctimonious can ever cover-up blood stains," Jaishankar said.

He added, "Believe me, they advance neither their own interests nor indeed their reputation."

(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis)

--IANS
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Patna, Sep 25 (IANS) Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday visited the Sashahtra Seema Bal (SSB) camp in Kishanganj in Bihar and inaugurated 5 outposts of the border guarding force.

"In Delhi, we thought that the duties of SSB jawans in the border areas of Bihar are easy as we have friendly relationships with both the neighbouring countries Nepal and Bhutan. But when I came to the borders, I understood the challenges you all face on the border. The borders of Nepal and Bhutan are porous with India and keeping an eye on every person is a tough job," Shah said.

Shah also appreciated the efforts of SSB in the Maoist-affected districts of Bihar and Jharkhand.

"Due to the efforts of SSB jawans along with other armed forces, Maoists are almost wiped out from Bihar," Shah said.

Earlier, Amit Shah went to Budhi Kali Mandir in Kishanganj and offered Puja.

He also broke the security protocol to meet the supporters who were waiting outside the temple. Shah stepped out from his SUV and greeted them.

Shah held a meeting with the BJP leaders of Seemanchal districts including Purnea, Araria, Kishanganj, Katihar in MGM medical college Kishanganj and gave the target of winning 3 out of 4 Lok Sabha seats of Purnea division in the 2024 general polls.

He also asked the leaders to prepare for the 2025 Vidhan Sabha election and win 19 assembly seats out of 24.

Shah also gave a target to the leaders of Seemanchal to deploy 10 youths on one polling booth in the next 3 months.

He was on a two-day visit to Seemanchal region to kick-off the Lok Sabha 2024 poll campaign. After the end of two-day stay in Bihar, he returned to Delhi in the evening.

--IANS
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Patna, Sep 24 (IANS) At a time when the leaders of the ruling Mahagathbandhan in Bihar are training their guns at Union Home Minister Amit Shah following his visit to Seemanchal on Friday, Nikhil Anand, state BJP spokesperson and national general secretary of the party's OBC wing, lauded Shah for playing an instrumental role in removing Articles 370 and 35A from Jammu and Kashmir.

"After Amit Shah's visit to Seemanchal, many of grand alliance leaders are having headache and stomach ache. After seeing the way scores of people turned out for his rally in Purnea, the leaders of the Mahagathbandhan are feeling uneasy due to the popularity of Amit Shah," Anand said.

Reacting to the statement of RJD's Lalan Singh, who had said that when he was involved in the JP movement in 1974, Amit Shah was just 10 years old, Anand said: "Amit Shah is the young generation leader of the country and his fame is acknowledged across the world ever since he removed Articles 370 and 35A from Jammu and Kashmir, which granted special status to the erstwhile state of J&K.

"Similarly, during the JP movement, some small stature leaders were following the big leaders and entertaining them. At present, some of the self-declared 'Chutbhaiye Netas' (small time leaders) are claiming to be JP commanders."

"It is unfortunate that the real heroes of the JP movement are deprived of JP pension scheme and the self-declared fake leaders of the movement are enjoying power being part of the government. The soul of Jay Prakash Narayan must be in deep pain after seeing the selfishness of the leaders of the ruling government," Anand said.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 24 (IANS) The investigation that followed the major crackdown on the Popular Front of India by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has revealed that a number of dummy organisations were floated by the radical outfit to fool the agencies and to evade arrest.

Sources claimed that PFI members knew that the government will take action against them due to their suspicious activities and hence they created a number of dummy organisations to mislead the intelligence agencies.

"The Campus Front of India, Rehab India Foundation, National Women's Front, All India Legal Council, SDPI -- these are all dummy organisations created by the PFI," the sources said.

The sources also claimed that the PFI members were allegedly trying to carry out attacks on BJP and RSS leaders.

Both the ED and the NIA have claimed that PFI was collecting funds from abroad, which were to be used to impart terror training and carry out anti-national activities.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 24 (IANS) A convict in the Bilkis Bano case has told the Supreme Court that the petition challenging Gujarat government's remission order is "speculative and politically motivated".

The plea filed by Radheysham Bhagwandas Shah said: "This court not only on the ground of locus and maintainability, but also on the ground of such speculative and politically motivated petition, should dismiss the said plea with heavy hand and impose an exemplary cost so that such politically motivated petition by strangers are not encouraged in the future."

The plea cited a number of the top court judgments, including Janata Dal vs H.S. Chowdhary (1992), Simranjit Singh Mann vs UOI (1992) and Subramanian Swamy vs Raju (2013), in which it was consistently held in clear terms that a third party who is a total stranger to the prosecution has no 'locus standi' in criminal matters.

The convict also referred to the apex court judgment dated May 13, 2022 on the merits of the case, which after hearing all the parties came out with a categorical judgment that only the Gujarat government's policy of premature release would be applicable, which prevailed at the time of conviction and not a subsequent policy at the time of consideration of remission.

Shah was challenging the plea filed by former CPI-M MP Subhasini Ali, journalist Revati Laul and professor Roop Rekha Verma against the release of 11 men convicted for the gang-rape of Bilkis Bano and multiple murders during the 2002 Gujarat riots.

A similar plea was also filed by Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra.

On September 9, the apex court had directed the Gujarat government to file all records, which formed the basis for granting remission to all the accused in the case. It directed the state government to file its response within two weeks and also asked advocate Rishi Malhotra, representing some of the accused, to file a response.

Shah's plea contended that if such type of third-party petitions are entertained by the apex court, it would not only unsettle the settled position of law, but would also be an open invitation to any member of the public to jump in any criminal matter before a court of law.

Shah argued that the plea is nothing but a gross abuse of Article 32, as on one hand, the petitioners plead that they do not have the copy of the remission order and yet without ascertaining the reasons for grant of remission, the petitioners have sought quashing of the remission order.

It further argued that the apex court had categorically held that a total stranger in a criminal case cannot be permitted to question the correctness of a decision, and if that was to be permitted, any and every person could challenge a criminal prosecution/proceeding recorded day in and day out by courts even if the person convicted do not desire to do so and are inclined to acquiesce in the decision.

"Interestingly enough, neither the state nor the victim nor even the complainant has approached this court, and thus it is respectfully submitted that if such cases are sought to be entertained by this court, a settled position of law would certainly become an unsettled position of law," Shah's plea added.

--IANS
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