RSS 'very nationalistic', has kept India united: Kiran Bedi

January 21, 2015

New Delhi, Jan 21: A rare BJP leader with no RSS link, Kiran Bedi, the party's Chief Ministerial nominee for Delhi, today described the Sangh as "very nationalistic" that has kept India united.KIRAN BEDI

The 65-year-old Bedi, who has been pitchforked to a leadership role within days of joining BJP, also felt that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a right-wing organisation, was a very disciplined outfit and has been contributing significantly to nation building.

"They( RSS) are very nationalistic. I would think here is an organisation which kept India together, which has kept India neat," Bedi told  in an exclusive interview.

The former IPS officer, who was a core member of Team Anna till about two years back along with Kejriwal before they parted ways, said the AAP leader's agitation at Rajpath within a month of becoming Chief Minister(on December 28, 2013) had "ticked" her off very much.

It was after Kejriwal's protest at Rajpath that she thought of joining politics to save Delhi from "confrontational politics", she said.

"The city of Delhi was the reason for my joining politics. Delhi has gone through a huge upheaval ever since this man's (Kejriwal) entry (into politics). It stood still and it's been only on an agitation mode which left a very bad taste in the mouth of Indians.

"Because whatever happens in Delhi, happens in India. It affects India, it impacts India. It's been all about confrontation, it's all about Rajpath Dharnas. What kind of person is he (Kejriwal) who says I am an anarchist?. Three days Delhi was standstill (when Kejriwal was on dharna as Chief Minister)," she said.

While she was severely critical of AAP, she was full of praise for RSS and said people do not know the "real" RSS.

"You do not know them. I have seen it all..I saw very disciplined people and being very very strongly nationalistic. Teaching discipline to youngsters," she said.

Asked why she was not accepting Kejriwal's debate challenge as she herself two years back had asked Sonia Gandhi to go for a US Presidential campaign-like debate with the then BJP president Nitin Gadkari, Bedi said she did not want to participate in a "drama".

"That is not a challenge. It was for drama as I am in positive politics and not in bickering politics," Bedi said.

Rejecting criticism against her for joining politics when she herself was critical of Kejriwal when he floated AAP, Bedi said, "Politics is a vehicle for change, vehicle for reform and vehicle for governance" and that she joined BJP for a cause.

"The Anna Hazare movement had come to an end. It reached its logical conclusion. We should not waste time anymore. People are waiting for development and progress. They are waiting for good governance, growth and investment. I have come for positive politics," she said.

On whether BJP brought her to shield Prime Minister Narendra Modi from any blame in case BJP is defeated at the polls, Bedi said," The party leadership is bringing people like me to sow seeds of new kinds of politics."

Asked whether she talked to Anna Hazare before joining BJP, Bedi said she tried to contact him but was not successful.

Queried how she would want herself to be remembered, Bedi's reply was--"somebody who brought positivity to politics".

On growing resentment among the BJP leaders over her sudden entry as Chief Ministerial candidate, she dismissed the issue, saying she has conveyed to all leaders that they have to "walk together" towards victory.

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News Network
January 17,2020

Mumbai, Jan 17: A 68-year-old convict of the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, Jalees Ansari, went missing on Thursday morning while being on parole, officials said.

Ansari, a resident of Mominpura in Agripada here who is serving a life term, is suspected to be involved in many bomb blast cases across the country, an official said.

He was on parole for 21 days from the Ajmer Central Prison, Rajasthan, and was expected to surrender before prison authorities on Friday, he said.

During the parole period, he was ordered to visit the Agripada Police Station everyday between 10.30 am and 12 pm to mark his attendance, he said.

However, Ansari did not visit the police station on Thursday during the designated time, the official said.

In the afternoon, his 35-year-old son Jaid Ansari approached the police station with a complaint about his “missing” father, he said.

According to the complaint, Jalees Ansari woke up in the early hoursand told family members he is going to offer namaz, but did not return home.

On his complaint, the Agripada Police registered a missing case, he said.

The Crime Branch of the Mumbai Police and the Maharashtra ATS have launched a massive manhunt to trace him, he said.

Jalees, who is known as Doctor Bomb, was allegedly connected with terror outfits like SIMI and Indian Mujahidin and taught terror groups how to make bombs, he said.

He was also questioned by the NIA in 2011 in connection with the 2008 bomb blast in Mumbai, he said.

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News Network
April 5,2020

Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 5: Eight more COVID-19 positive cases were reported from Kerala on Sunday, four among whom attended the Tablighi Jamat congregation in Delhi and six people were cured, Health Minister K K Shailaja said.

With this, the total number of affected people under treatment in the state has gone up to 256, she said.

"Out of the eight cases, five are from Kozhikode, and one each from Pathanamthitta, Kannur and Kasaragod districts.

In the case of Kozhikode, four out of the five returned from Nizammuddin meet and one from Dubai.

As of date, 10 people who had returned from Nizammuddin in Delhi have been tested positive," the minister said in a release

A total of 314 cases have been reported from Kerala so far and 56 people have been cured, she said

"We have sent 10,221 samples for testing," she said.

A total of 1.58 lakh people are under observation in the state, out of which 776 are in isolation wards in hospitals.

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Agencies
July 1,2020

Sopore, Jammu And Kashmir: A three-year-old boy survived as his grandfather was killed in a terror attack on the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Jammu and Kashmir's Sopore town this morning. A CRPF jawan was also killed in the line of duty as terrorists opened fire on a patrol team.

In heart-wrenching images, the child is seen sitting on the blood-splattered body of his grandfather, a civilian caught in the crossfire. The boy was numb with fear when he was picked up by policemen, according to the police.

The Kashmir police also tweeted a photo of the child being carried to safety by a policeman.

"Jammu and Kashmir police rescued a three-year-old boy from getting hit by bullets during the terrorist attack in Sopore," said the tweet by the Kashmir Zone Police.

The child was travelling in a Maruti car with his grandfather from Srinagar to Handwara when it was hit by a spray of bullets in Sopore town, which is in Baramulla district about 50 km from Srinagar.

The police said terrorists hiding in a mosque fired indiscriminately at the patrol team as it was getting off a bus. The CRPF troops retaliated but the terrorists managed to escape.

According to the CRPF, the grandfather stopped the car and got out to run to a safe spot but was shot dead in the firing by terrorists. The boy was later rescued by a policeman standing nearby.

Last week, a six-year-old boy was killed during a terror attack on the CRPF in Anantnag.

Little Nihaan Bhat was sleeping in a parked car when he was hit by a bullet. Police say the terrorist was on a bike and opened fire from a pistol on a CRPF patrol. One jawan was killed. The child's killing drew widespread anger and condemnation.

The terrorist believed to be involved in the Anantnag attack escaped yesterday after an encounter with security forces. Police said two other terrorists who were hiding with him at a village were killed.

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