Will work with like-minded parties to defeat communal forces: Sonia

Agencies
February 8, 2018

New Delhi, Feb 8: Declaring that Congress president Rahul Gandhi was her boss too, Sonia Gandhi today said the process to revive the party's fortunes had begun and she would work with "like-minded parties" to ensure the BJP's defeat in the next elections.

The Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson launched an all-out attack on the BJP and the Modi government and alleged that the government was orchestrating violence against minorities to polarise society for narrow political gains.

This would be seen in Karnataka too, which goes to the polls in a few months, the former Congress president, who handed over the party's reins to her son after 19 years in December last year, told the CPP.

Sounding an upbeat note, Gandhi told party MPs to work with dedication, loyalty and enthusiasm with Rahul Gandhi to strengthen the party and said he was her boss to.

"We have elected a new Congress president and on your behalf and on my own, I wish him all the very best. He is now my boss too - let there be no doubt about that - and I know that all of you will work with him with the same dedication, loyalty and enthusiasm as you did with me.

"I am confident that we will work cohesively under his leadership to revive our party's fortunes. That process has begun," she said.

Gandhi also dubbed the Modi government as one not in sync with reality.

This, she said, was evident in the prime minister's speech in the Lok Sabha yesterday.

As CPP chairperson, she said she would work with the Congress president and other colleagues "in discussions with like-minded, political parties to ensure that in the next election, the BJP is defeated and India is restored to a democratic, inclusive, secular, tolerant and economically progressive path".

Minorities, the Congress leader added, feel unsafe and are subjected to barbarous attacks, even as Dalits have come under renewed and widespread atrocities, as have women.

"In many cases this violence, specially against minorities and Dalits is not sporadic or random, but orchestrated to polarise our society for narrow political gains."

This was witnessed in both Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat and would no doubt be seen again in Karnataka, she said.

"Such polarisation is criminal in a democracy, yet those in power look the other way," she said.

Comments

Abu Muhammad
 - 
Thursday, 8 Feb 2018

Congrats Madam, this is very positive, realistic and need of the hour. Please beware of your own party leaders who are Congress in the day and RSS in night.

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News Network
January 1,2020

New Delhi, Jan 1: Newly-appointed Chief of the Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat on Wednesday said the armed forces stay away from politics and work as per the directives of the government of the day, remarks that come amid allegations that the forces were being politicised.

Gen Rawat also said that his focus as CDS will be to integrate the efforts of the three services and to work as a team.

"We keep ourselves away from politics. We act according to the directives of the government of the day," he said.

Gen Rawat said his focus will be to ensure best and optimal use of resources allocated to the three services.

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Agencies
June 6,2020

Mumbai, Jun 6: Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami faces a new complaint, this time under the Cable Televisions Network (Regulation) Act, 1995, for allegedly running the television channel "to create communal hatred, religious polarisation and threatening national integrity".

Social activist Nilesh Navlakha last month lodged a criminal complaint with the Commissioner of Police, Pune, through his lawyer Asim Sarode, under Section 2 of the Act.

"We have narrated six prominent, recent debate shows conducted by Goswami in which his arguments and words used were communal in nature which he kept repeating in his shows. The words and tonality are intended to promote communal attitudes and news is based on religious innuendos and half-truths," Sarode contended.

This leads to propaganda based on hatred, religious polarization and communal divide, said Navlakha in a statement.

He further said that the misuse of freedom of expression by Goswami and his channel posed a serious threat before the independent media as it violates the freedom of expression of the viewers, as it is the viewers' right to get correct, complete and true information.

Elaborating about Goswami's behaviour, Navlakha said that he has created what is termed 'Impulse Control Disorder' in psychiatry.
Sarode said: "Intermittent Explosive Disorder is a kind of 'impulse control disorder' which involves sudden episodes of impulsive, aggressive, violent behaviour or angry verbal outbursts in which you react grossly out of proportion to the situation."

They said that there are some more media persons displaying such tendencies in Hindi and English journalism, showing whatever is convenient and blow it out of proportion to give meanings which are out-of-context and disrupts the fabric of democracy while not fitting into journalism's ethics.

The complaint also alleged that Goswami and his channel are actually into "brainwashing" the viewers in a way that they will get converted into haters of some communities and terror for some religions.

"This is not less than running an organised crime syndicate of making the human minds to follow a fanatic terrorist thought process. When WhatsApp group admins are being booked under the law, then why the CTNRA provisions are not being invoked against such tendencies," Sarode asked.

In the complaint, it is pointed out how eminent persons have walked out of Goswami's shows because of his name-calling tactics, like labelling cricketer Sachin Tendulkar "anti-national" in one of his shows.

Navlakha and Sarode claimed that Goswami has violated the Programme Code under the CTNRA, the channel has indicated it is against sovereignty, integrity and security as also against public order, decency and morality, making it a serious issue and a cognizable offence.

It urged the Pune police chief to take suitable action against the wrongs committed to disturb the peace, law and order in society and book Goswami under the CTNRA Section's 16, which attracts a jail term of two years plus fine.

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News Network
January 13,2020

New Delhi, Jan 13: The Delhi High Court on Monday sought response of the city police, Delhi government, WhatsApp Inc, Google Inc and Apple Inc on a plea of three JNU professors to preserve data, CCTV footage and other evidence relating to the January 5 violence on the varsity campus.

The Delhi Police informed the court that it has asked the JNU administration to preserve and hand over CCTV footage of the violence.

Justice Brijesh Sethi listed the matter for further hearing on Tuesday.

The court was told by Delhi government Standing Counsel (criminal) Rahul Mehra that the police has not yet received any response from the university administration.

The counsel said police has also written to WhatsApp to preserve data of two groups "Unity Against Left" and "Friends of RSS" including messages, pictures and videos and phone numbers of members, related to JNU violence incident.

The petition was filed by JNU professors Ameet Parameswaran, Atul Sood and Shukla Vinayak Sawant seeking necessary directions to the Delhi Police Commissioner and Delhi government.

The petition also sought direction to the Delhi Police to retrieve all CCTV footage of JNU campus.

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