"Keep Backbone Straight": Shatrughan Sinha's Dig at Rajiv Pratap Rudy

Agencies
January 22, 2019

Patna, Jan 22: Disgruntled BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha on Monday took a veiled dig at party spokesman Rajiv Pratap Rudy, saying he could only feel sympathy for the former union minister who has been under lot of pressure because of being sidelined.

Mr Sinha, who refrained from mentioning Mr Rudy by name, was criticized by the Saran MP on Saturday when he appeared at the opposition rally in Kolkata and tore into the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah with the remark if speaking the truth is an act of rebellion, then count me as a rebel.

I was not surprised by the statement about me by a young spokesperson of the party who has been an old friend. Some people are saying that my young friend has been under lot of pressure because of being sidelined and that we should only feel sympathy for the young man, who seems to have been forced to make statements like these, or probably strives to keep himself relevant, the actor-turned-politician and Patna Sahib MP tweeted.

Mr Rudy had called Mr Sinha very clever and opportunistic referring to his presence by the party's side whenever a whip was issued in the Parliament, in order to avoid disqualification, and added that he was sure the BJP would take cognizance of his presence at the Kolkata rally and take a call.

Mr Rudy, a close aide of veteran socialist leader and former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar, had joined the BJP in the 1990s and after winning the now abolished Chhapra Lok Sabha seat in 1999 made a minister in the government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

In 2014, when he won from Saran defeating RJD supremo Lalu Prasad's wife and former Chief Minister Rabri Devi, he again became a Union minister but resigned in 2017 amid speculations that he might have been asked to put in his papers since Prime Minister Narendra Modi was reportedly dissatisfied with his performance.

His recent appointment as a national spokesperson of the BJP is being viewed as a signal that he may not be considered for a ticket in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Mr Sinha said in another tweet "as a genuine well wisher, I have only one advice..do not wilt under pressure and keep your backbone straight. And yes, no need to get personal even with adversaries, what to talk of friends. Wishing you all the best and a successful political career ahead."

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News Network
January 30,2020

New Delhi, Jan 30: Tension spiralled in Jamia Nagar on Thursday after a man fired a pistol at a group of anti-CAA protesters, injuring a Jamia Millia Islamia student before walking away while waving the firearm above his head and shouting "Yeh lo aazadi" amid heavy police presence in the area.

Massive protests erupted in the area after the incident with hundreds of agitated people gathering near the university, breaking barricades and clashing with police personnel.

The man, who identified himself as "Rambhakt Gopal", was subsequently overpowered by police and detained. He was taken into custody and was being interrogated, police said.

The entire drama, which triggered panic in the area, was captured by television cameras that showed the man in light coloured pants and a dark jacket, walking away on an empty road barricaded by police, turning around and shouting at the protesters in Hindi, "Here, take this freedom."

The gunman went live on Facebook before the brandishing the gun. Police said they were verifying whether it is his real name.

Before the attack, the man also put out messages on Facebook stating "Shaheen Bhag Khel Khatam" (Run Shaheen, the game is over). Another message stated, "Please wrap me in saffron in my last journey with slogans of Jai Shri Ram". His Facebook profile was deleted after screenshots of his posts were circulated widely on social media platforms.

Several students recapped how their peaceful march on Gandhi's death anniversary became violent.

"We were moving towards the Holy Family Hospital where the police had raised barricades. Suddenly, a gun-wielding man came out and opened fire. One bullet hit my friend's hand," Aamna Asif, a student of economics at the university, told PTI.

She said her friend, Shadab Farooq, a mass communication student, was trying to calm the attacker but he shot at him injuring his left hand.

Farooq, who belongs to Kashmir, was taken to the AIIMS Trauma Centre.

Ragibh Naushad, an LLB student at the university, said, "The Jamia Coordination Committee organised a march to pay homage to Gandhi ji on his death anniversary. It started at 12 noon from Gate number 7, but police denied the permission and stopped the march near the Holy Family hospital.

"A man named Gopal, came there and started brandishing a weapon and later shot a round. He was also chanting pro-CAA slogans."

The incident led to panic in the area.

Khalid Hassan, a JMI alumnus, said initially many were not sure whether it was a gunshot or a tyre burst.

There was heavy police and media presence when the incident took place.

The students were heading from Jamia to Mahatma Gandhi's memorial Rajghat. The march was stopped at the Holy Family Hospital near the university.

Chinmoy Biswal, DCP (southeast), said the students wanted to take out a march from Jamia to Rajghat but were denied permission.

"They were being repeatedly told that the protest should be carried out peacefully. We had barricaded the road just before the Holy Family hospital. Meanwhile, a person was seen in the crowd who waved something which appeared to be a weapon."

"We have detained him and are interrogating him. One person has also been injured," Biswal said.

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Agencies
August 2,2020

New Delhi, Aug 2: India's COVID-19 tally crossed the 17 lakh mark with 54,736 positive cases and 853 deaths reported in the last 24 hours.

"The total COVID-19 cases stand at 17,50,724 including 5,67,730 active cases, 11,45,630 cured/discharged/migrated and 37,364 deaths," said the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry.

As per the data provided by the Health Ministry, Maharashtra -- the worst affected state from the infection -- has a total of 1,49,214 active cases and 15,316 deaths. A total of 4,31,719 coronavirus cases have been recorded in the state up to Saturday, as per the state health department.

Tamil Nadu has a total of 60,580 active cases and 4,034 deaths.

In Delhi, the total cases rose to 1,36,716, including 1,22,131 recovered/discharged/migrated cases and 3,989 deaths. There are 10,596 active cases in the national capital.

The total number of COVID-19 samples tested up to August 1 is 1,98,21,831 including 4,63,172 samples tested yesterday, said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Sunday.

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News Network
June 30,2020

Beijing, June 30: China said on Tuesday it was concerned about India’s decision to ban Chinese mobile apps such as Bytedance’s TikTok and Tencent’s WeChat and was making checks to verify the situation.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters during a daily briefing that (the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government of) India has a responsibility to uphold the rights of Chinese businesses.

India on Monday banned 59, mostly Chinese, mobile apps in its strongest move yet targeting China in the online space since a border crisis erupted between the two countries this month.

The apps are “prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India, the defence of India, the security of state and public order", the ministry of information technology said in a statement, which came two weeks after 20 Indian Army personnel were killed in a violent clash on the India-China border in Ladakh.

The companies have been invited to offer clarifications before a government panel, which will decide whether the ban can be removed or will stay.

The move also came ahead of military and diplomatic talks between India and China scheduled this week.

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