Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said the CBI was “putting pressure” on him to “frame” Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an alleged fake encounter case in Gujarat when he was being questioned by the probe agency during the Congress-led UPA government.Shah said this at the ‘News 18 Rising India’ programme in New Delhi in response to a question on Opposition’s charge that the Narendra Modi government is “misusing’ central agencies to target them.The CBI “was putting pressure” on me to “frame Modi ji” (when he was Gujarat CM) in an alleged fake encounter case during the Congress government,” he said, adding that the BJP never raised a ruckus despite this.On Rahul Gandhi’s conviction in a criminal defamation case by a court in Surat, the home minister said the Congress leader was not the only politician who was convicted by a court and lost membership of the legislature.Instead of moving to a higher court, Rahul has been trying to create hue and cry and blaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his fate, he said.Shah said Rahul Gandhi should go to a higher court to fight his case, instead of trying to put the blame on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.He said the Congress is spreading misconception; conviction can’t be stayed. “The sentence can be stayed if the court decides,” he said.“He has not appealed to take stay on his conviction. What kind of arrogance is this? You want a favour. You want to continue to be MP and will also not go before the Court,” Shah said.Where does such arrogance gets generated, he said.Shah said 17 prominent leaders, including Lalu Prasad, J Jayalalitha and Raashid Alvi, had lost their membership because of a 2013 Supreme Court order during the UPA government, which said an elected representative would lose his seat immediately after conviction. Still, no one protested wearing black clothes because it is the “law of the land”, he said.“Listen to the full speech of Rahul Gandhi, he has not only spoken abusive words for Modi ji. He has spoken abusive words for the entire Modi community and OBC society,” he said.“The law of the land is clear. There is no question of vendetta politics. It is the judgment of the Supreme Court of India, which had come during their government,” Shah said.Asked about the notice to vacate his bungalow, Shah asked why should there be “special favour” when the Supreme Court had said to act as soon as the conviction comes into effect.“It was a deliberate statement by Rahul Gandhi. If Rahul Gandhi did not want to apologise, then he should not have applied for bail. Let him not apologise,” Shah said.“This gentleman is not the first one. Politicians who held much bigger positions and with much more experience have lost their membership because of this provision,” the Home minister said.He said India’s democracy wasn’t threatened when Lalu ji was disqualified but it is endangered only when a person from the Gandhi family is disqualified.“Now it has come on him, so they are saying make a separate law for the Gandhi family. I want to ask the people of this country whether there should be a separate law for a single family. What kind of mentality is this? Whatever happens, they start blaming Modi ji and the Lok Sabha Speaker,” Shah said.He said senior lawyers who are Congress MPs in Rajya Sabha should tell their colleagues that Lok Sabha Speaker has no role in the disqualification.“It is the law of the country that all his speeches in Parliament would have to be erased from the records from the moment of his conviction. Even if his disqualification notice were served a few days later, it would have no purpose,” he said.Shah said BJP did not want changes in the Supreme Court order. The Manmohan Singh government brought an Ordinance to blunt the apex court order, but Rahul Gandhi tore it apart, calling it “nonsense”.“Once he tore it apart, who in his government would have dared to turn it into law? It was vetoed. Had that ordinance become a law, he could have been saved,” Shah said.Asked about Rahul’s comment on Savarkar, the Home Minister said Veer Savarkar was the only freedom fighter who was sentenced to two life terms in Andaman prison. “Such language for such a freedom fighter should not have been used,” he said.He (Rahul) should read his grandmother’s speech on Veer Savarkar. His own party people are advising him to not speak against Savarkar, he said.In the general election of 2024, Shah said Modi would again be PM with a larger majority. BJP will get more seats in the 2024 elections than 2019 elections, he said, adding that there is no unity among the opposition, he said.On the upcoming Karnataka elections, Shah said BJP would comfortably cross the halfway mark and form a government with a clear majority in the state.Ruling out any alliance in Karnataka, Shah said, “The BJP will definitely cross the halfway mark and form the government with an absolute majority in Karnataka. We will win record mandate.” Referring to recent Karnataka government’s decision to end quota on the basis of religion, he said reservation based on religion is unconstitutional.“Karnataka’s Congress government did it due to polarisation, and we have just rectified it. It should have done earlier,” he said.The Home minister rejected the allegations on the misuse of investigative agencies against the opposition leaders. Shah said we never blamed the opposition for anything, innocent police officers were put behind bars during Congress government.Shah said the BJP had won the 2014 and 2019 elections on the plank of anti-corruption. He said Enforcement Directorate had seized 1.10 lakh crore of assets, of which not even five per cent are of political leaders.“Shall we stop the fight against corruption? Should we not act if the accused is a politician,” Shah asked. The Home minister asked who had filed cases against Lalu Prasad Yadav and who had sent a plane full of officials from Delhi to arrest Shaikh Abdullah.Citing the misuse of agencies, Shah said thousands of innocent persons were imprisoned for 19 months of Emergency and questioned whose doing it was. It was his grandmother Indira Gandhi, he said.On the Maharashtra question, Shah said people wanted Shiv Sena and BJP government and now the real Shiv Sena is with BJP. “I also accept that BJP on its own could have formed the government in Maharashtra. There is no question of the merger of Shiv Sena,” he said.He said the Congress should introspect about its contribution to corruption. There is a strong resentment against Congress governments in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. We will definitely win elections in Madhya Pradesh, he said.Shah said we have not taken any decision on the face in Rajasthan elections. People want to change the CM of Rajasthan, he said.On Amritpal Singh, Shah said he meets Punjab Chief Minister every three months, irrespective of the government and stand with the party when it comes to the security of the country.“Many people have been arrested in connection with Amritpal case, police and intelligence agencies are working on the case,” he said.On attacks on Indian missions abroad, Shah said it was an attack on India. “We will take action against those involved in the attack, FIR already lodged in Delhi,” he said. Shah said the contribution of Sikhs to India’s freedom has been immense; every Sikh wants to be with India.The Home minister ruled out any confrontation between the judiciary and the government. “Both are working within their limits,” he said. The government’s duty to make law now and the Parliament will think over it, he said
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said the CBI was "putting pressure" on him to "frame" Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an alleged fake encounter case in Gujarat when he was being questioned by the probe agency during the Congress-led UPA government.Mr Shah said this at the 'News 18 Rising India' programme in response to a question on Opposition's charge that the Narendra Modi government is "misusing' central agencies to target them.The CBI "was putting pressure" on me to "frame Modi ji" (when he was Gujarat CM) in an alleged fake encounter case during the Congress government," he said, adding that the BJP never raised a ruckus despite this. On Rahul Gandhi's conviction in a criminal defamation case by a court in Surat, the home minister said the Congress leader was not the only politician who was convicted by a court and lost membership of the legislature.Instead of moving to a higher court, Rahul Gandhi has been trying to create hue and cry and blaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his fate, he said.Mr Shah said Rahul Gandhi should go to a higher court to fight his case, instead of trying to put the blame on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said the Congress is spreading misconception; conviction can't be stayed. "The sentence can be stayed if the court decides," he said."He has not appealed to take stay on his conviction. What kind of arrogance is this? You want a favour. You want to continue to be MP and will also not go before the Court," Mr Shah said. Where does such arrogance gets generated, he asked.Mr Shah said 17 prominent leaders, including Lalu Prasad, J Jayalalitha and Raashid Alvi, had lost their membership because of a 2013 Supreme Court order during the UPA government, which said an elected representative would lose his seat immediately after conviction. Still, no one protested wearing black clothes because it is the "law of the land", he said."Listen to the full speech of Rahul Gandhi, he has not only spoken abusive words for Modi ji, he has spoken abusive words for the entire Modi community and OBC society," he said."The law of the land is clear. There is no question of vendetta politics. It is the judgment of the Supreme Court of India, which had come during their government," Mr Shah said.Asked about the notice to vacate his bungalow, Mr Shah asked why should there be "special favour" when the Supreme Court had said to act as soon as the conviction comes into effect."It was a deliberate statement by Rahul Gandhi. If Rahul Gandhi did not want to apologise, then he should not have applied for bail. Let him not apologise," Mr Shah said."This gentleman is not the first one. Politicians who held much bigger positions and with much more experience have lost their membership because of this provision," the Home minister said. He said India's democracy wasn't threatened when Lalu ji was disqualified but it is endangered only when a person from the Gandhi family is disqualified."Now it has come on him, so they are saying make a separate law for the Gandhi family. I want to ask the people of this country whether there should be a separate law for a single family. What kind of mentality is this? Whatever happens, they start blaming Modi ji and the Lok Sabha Speaker," Mr Shah said.He said senior lawyers who are Congress MPs in Rajya Sabha should tell their colleagues that Lok Sabha Speaker has no role in the disqualification. "It is the law of the country that all his speeches in Parliament would have to be erased from the records from the moment of his conviction. Even if his disqualification notice were served a few days later, it would have no purpose," he said.Mr Shah said the BJP did not want changes in the Supreme Court order. The Manmohan Singh government brought an Ordinance to blunt the top court order, but Rahul Gandhi tore it apart, calling it "nonsense"."Once he tore it apart, who in his government would have dared to turn it into law? It was vetoed. Had that ordinance become a law, he could have been saved," Mr Shah said.Asked about Rahul Gandhi's comment on Savarkar, the Home Minister said Veer Savarkar was the only freedom fighter who was sentenced to two life terms in Andaman prison. "Such language for such a freedom fighter should not have been used," he said.He (Rahul) should read his grandmother's speech on Veer Savarkar. His own party people are advising him to not speak against Savarkar, he said."In the general election of 2024, Shah said Modi would again be PM with a larger majority. BJP will get more seats in the 2024 elections than 2019 elections," he said, adding that there is no unity among the opposition.On the upcoming Karnataka elections, Mr Shah said the BJP would comfortably cross the halfway mark and form a government with a clear majority in the state.Ruling out any alliance in Karnataka, Mr Shah said, "The BJP will definitely cross the halfway mark and form the government with an absolute majority in Karnataka. We will win record mandate." Referring to recent Karnataka government's decision to end quota on the basis of religion, he said reservation based on religion is unconstitutional. "Karnataka's Congress government did it due to polarisation, and we have just rectified it. It should have done earlier," he said.The Home minister rejected the allegations on the misuse of investigative agencies against the opposition leaders. Mr Shah said we never blamed the opposition for anything, innocent police officers were put behind bars during Congress government.Mr Shah said the BJP had won the 2014 and 2019 elections on the plank of anti-corruption. He said Enforcement Directorate had seized 1.10 lakh crore of assets, of which not even five per cent are of political leaders. "Shall we stop the fight against corruption? Should we not act if the accused is a politician," Mr Shah asked.The Home minister asked who had filed cases against Lalu Prasad Yadav and who had sent a plane full of officials from Delhi to arrest Shaikh Abdullah.Citing the misuse of agencies, Mr Shah said thousands of innocent persons were imprisoned for 19 months of Emergency and questioned whose doing it was. It was his grandmother Indira Gandhi, he said.On the Maharashtra question, Mr Shah said people wanted Shiv Sena and BJP government and now the real Shiv Sena is with BJP. "I also accept that BJP on its own could have formed the government in Maharashtra. There is no question of the merger of Shiv Sena," he said.He said the Congress should introspect about its contribution to corruption. There is a strong resentment against Congress governments in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. We will definitely win elections in Madhya Pradesh, he said.Mr Shah said we have not taken any decision on the face in Rajasthan elections. People want to change the CM of Rajasthan, he said.On Amritpal Singh, Mr Shah said he meets Punjab Chief Minister every three months, irrespective of the government and stand with the party when it comes to the security of the country."Many people have been arrested in connection with Amritpal case, police and intelligence agencies are working on the case," he said.On attacks on Indian missions abroad, Mr Shah said it was an attack on India. "We will take action against those involved in the attack, FIR already lodged in Delhi," he said.Mr Shah said the contribution of Sikhs to India's freedom has been immense; every Sikh wants to be with India.PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.comThe Home minister ruled out any confrontation between the judiciary and the government. "Both are working within their limits," he said. The government's duty is to make law now and the Parliament will think over it, he said.
The Shiv Sena (UBT), which had warned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi against “insulting” Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar, said on Wednesday that the issue has been resolved and they were “firmly united” with the Opposition parties in their fight against the BJP and the Narendra Modi government.“The issue has ended for us…The matter has been resolved,” MP Sanjay Raut, Uddhav Thackeray’s close confidant, told The Indian Express. “I have spoken to Rahul Gandhi about the issue,” he added.“We had raised our concerns on Savarkar two days back. We did not attend the meeting at Mallikarjun Kharge’s house. But there is and will be Opposition unity in Maharashtra as well as the country. We have got the results of the concerns we have expressed. We will attend the Opposition meeting today [Wednesday] and also participate in the protest in Parliament,” Raut said on Wednesday morning.In his speech in Malegaon on Sunday, Uddhav Thackeray had warned Rahul Gandhi that the Sena (UBT) would not tolerate any insult to Savarkar. “Savarkar is our deity…we will not tolerate any insult to him,” Thackeray had said.Asked whether Gandhi had promised not to raise the Savarkar issue again, Raut said, “We do not want to speak about it anymore. As I have said, the matter has been resolved.”When asked what the party’s stand would be if Gandhi raises the issue again, Raut said, “If Rahul Gandhi raises the issue again, we will see what to do… But we are confident he will not raise the issue.”Raut said the Shiv Sena (UBT) will be attending the meetings convened by the Opposition or the Congress. The Sena had on Monday night skipped a meeting convened by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. “We are firmly united with the Opposition to save democracy and dislodge the BJP from power,” Raut said.On Tuesday, Congress communication head Jairam Ramesh said 19 parties were saying in one voice that democracy was in danger and “we have to unitedly face and fight the dictatorial government”. The Shiv Sena (UBT), he said, was one of the 19 parties.“There were 18 parties last night. Today, I have said 19. The number will go up from 18 to 19 when Shiv Sena is part of the group,” Ramesh said at a press conference in Delhi on Tuesday. To this, Raut said, “We are with the Congress and the Opposition…We will be attending all their meetings.”
A day after Uddhav Thackeray warned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi against insulting Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said he will meet Rahul and try to convince him to avoid mentioning Savarkar in his speeches and press conferences as it was a matter of faith for the Uddhav-led Sena.“Veer Savarkar is our deity. Savarkar is related to our faith. We cannot tolerate insults to him,” Sanjay Raut, chief spokesperson of Shiv Sena (UBT) told The Indian Express on Monday.Raut, who also addressed reporters in Mumbai on Monday on the same subject, said he will soon meet Rahul in New Delhi. “I will hold discussions with Rahul Gandhi on the issue of Veer Savarkar. I will explain to him the sacrifices made by Savarkar… He spent 14 years in Andaman and Nicobar jail. He was given the worst punishment of ‘kaala pani’,” he said.“Those who have gone to jail, like me, know how difficult it is to live there even for a day. And just imagine, Savarkar spent 14 years in jail where he had to undergo absolute torture. Rahul Gandhi needs to understand the sufferings and sacrifices that Savarkar underwent. I am sure the Congress leader will give me a patient hearing and will try to understand the life and times of Savarkar without insulting him,” he said.Raut added, “We object to the use of words like ‘mafiveer’ for Savarkar. By belittling the sacrifice of Savarkar in this manner, Rahul Gandhi is doing harm to himself and his image. Rahul Gandhi undertook Bharat Jodo Yatra and drew wide praise from across the country. And by insulting Savarkar, he is creating hatred among those who respect the Hindutva ideologue for what he did for the country.”The Sena (UBT) leader said Rahul has repeatedly said that Savarkar had apologised. “But how many times will he repeat the same thing? We did not expect that Rahul Gandhi will carry his animosity for a human being who is dead this far… The Congress leader needs to have closure with regard to his strong sentiments against Savarkar who is not alive to defend himself. He should stop mentioning Savarkar in his speeches and press conferences. There are several important national issues on which he is raising his voice without any fear… He should keep doing that. The country needs a leader like him,” he said.Raut said Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has already made it clear that his party will not tolerate any insult to Savarkar. “Rahul Gandhi needs to understand our sentiments as well. Savarkar is a matter of faith for us and therefore we will not tolerate anything said to dishonour or disrespect him,” he said.In its editorial on Monday, the Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ said, “Rahul Gandhi repeatedly says ‘My name is not Savarkar’. By making such statements, Rahul Gandhi is not going to make the Congress courageous. Neither is he going to reduce the love and admiration that people have for Savarkar. Savarkar means courage, Savarkar means fight against injustice and ‘gulamgiri. Veer Savarkar created warriors in the country and outside to fight against the British. Like Savarkar, Rahul Gandhi will have to create warriors in his own party so that they can take on the present rulers.”The editorial said Rahul has been sentenced to two years’ jail in the 2019 defamation case. “This is an injustice to him. But if he is trying to fight for the truth by insulting Savarkar, he will never get that victory.”The editorial said the Congress leader belongs to a family of martyrs. “Motilal Nehru and Pandit Nehru went all out during the freedom struggle. Their life was dedicated to the country. Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi made the highest sacrifices for the nation. The country acknowledges their matrydom. Similarly, Veer Savarkar’s brother Babarao Savarkar and their entire family also made the highest sacrifices for the country. No one should try to belittle those great sacrifices,” it added.After the Bharat Jodo Yatra and the two-year jail sentence, there is sympathy in favour of Rahul Gandhi, it said. “But if he continues to insult Savarkar, he will be doing harm to himself..”The editorial said Rahul’s comments on Savarkar will affect the Congress the most in Maharashtra. “In every village of Maharashtra, you will find Savarkar in many forms. This will certainly put the Congress rank and file in a difficult situation in the state.”
India’s political system is veering towards a full-blown tyranny. The targeting of Opposition leaders leading to the farcical disqualification of Rahul Gandhi, the hounding of civil society and research organisations, censorship of information, the suppression of protest, are harbingers of a full-blown system of rule where all the interlocking parts add up to the one objective of tyrannical rule: To create pervasive fear.These actions are alarming, not because this or that leader has been targeted. They are alarming because the current BJP government is signaling not just that it will not tolerate the Opposition. It will not, under any circumstances, even contemplate or allow a smooth transition of power. For, what these actions reveal is a ruthless lust for power, combined with a determination to use any means to secure it. Neither the form of power the BJP seeks, nor the ends they deploy to achieve it, knows any constraints or bounds. That is the quintessential hallmark of tyranny.In a democracy, a smooth transition of power in a fair election requires several conditions. The ruthless crushing of the Opposition and the squelching of liberty erodes these conditions. The first is that professional politicians treat each other as members of the same profession, not as existential enemies to be vanquished by any means. Once a regime does that to its opponents, it fears the consequences of losing power. It can no longer rest in the comfortable belief that democracy is a game of rotating power; transitions should be routine. Can you now imagine Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Amit Shah or their minions calmly contemplating the prospect that they could ever be in the Opposition, after the hubris they have deployed against opponents and critics? The hallmark of tyrants is impunity in power and therefore an existential fear of losing it.The issue is not whether the government is popular. It may well be. Tyranny can be a stepchild of democracy, as Plato knew so well. The insatiable show and assertion of power the BJP is engaged in traps them in a logic where they will seek to create the conditions in which a fair and open contest is no longer possible. Their institutional imagination is paranoid — desperately trying to shut out even the slightest opening from which light might appear. What else but a paranoid system would target small think tanks or civil society organisations that do social service? What else but a paranoid system would appear to politically orchestrate a disqualification of an Opposition MP?And this same paranoia will make the prospect of even risking a fair electoral contest from now on a non-starter. Paranoia is the seed of all repression and we are now seeing it in full measure.Political parties that situate themselves as unique vanguards of a majoritarian national identity find it difficult to relinquish power. In normal politics there are many sides to an argument, and we can all pretend that different sides are acting in good faith even when we disagree. But when the ideological project is singularly communal and wears the garb of nationalism, every dissent is treated as treason. Ideological parties like the BJP will play by the electoral rules when they are not in a position to wield power, or when they feel electorally secure. But once this regime is entrenched, it will think it is its historical destiny to act as a kind of nationalist vanguard, no matter what the circumstances.In its own imagination, this nationalism will justify everything: From playing footloose with the law to outright violence. It has institutionalised vigilantism, violence and hate into the fabric of politics and the state. But this culture is not just difficult to dismantle. It is also part of a preparation to exercise other options in case a purely political hold on power is no longer possible. Parties that have institutionalised structures of violence are less likely to give up power unless they are massively repudiated.But the logic of tyranny goes further. Increasingly, the issue is not just the weaknesses of the Opposition parties. Even in the wake of this disqualification, Congress’s political reflexes, the willingness of its members to risk anything, and its ability to mobilise street power, is seriously in doubt. Opposition unity is still a chimera, more performative at the moment than real.But has the psychology of tyranny now been internalised by enough Indians to make resistance more difficult? India still has the potential for protest on many issues. But what is increasingly in doubt is whether India wishes to resist deepening authoritarianism.To take one example, India’s elites, broadly understood, have gone well past the quotidian fear of those in power. This kind of fear often expresses itself in a gap between public utterances and private beliefs. But what is happening is something far more insidious, where a combination of fear or outright support for government is so deeply internalised that even private demurring from blatantly authoritarian and communal actions has become rare. Ask any victim, who has been the object of the state’s wrath, whether they are at the receiving end of horrendous violence, or targets of administrative or legal harassment. Even the private shows of support will disappear as swiftly as the state intervenes. This suggests either a deep-seated cowardice or a normalisation of authoritarianism.The hallmark of a successful tyranny is to induce a sense of unreality in those who support it. This sense of unreality means no disconfirming evidence can dent their support for the regime. In this world, India has little unemployment, its institutions are fine, it has ascended to the glorious heights of world leadership, it has not ceded any territory to China, and there is no concentration of capital or regulatory capture. But the unreality centres mostly on the lynchpin of this system of tyranny, the prime minister. In his hands, repression becomes an act of purification, his hubris a mark of his ambition, his decimation of institutions a national service.Institutionally and psychologically, we are already inhabiting a tyranny, even if its violence is not in your face. A regime that is paranoid and full of impunity will overreach. But what is the threshold of overreach? The threshold seems to be shifting higher and higher. Communalism was unleashed. No reaction. The information order collapsed. No reaction. The judicial heart stopped beating. No reaction. The Opposition is being vanquished by unfair means. No reaction. Such is the logic of tyranny that the ogres of oppression roam free, while we look on indifferently as justice and freedom are tied in chains.
India’s political system is veering towards a full-blown tyranny. The targeting of Opposition leaders leading to the farcical disqualification of Rahul Gandhi, the hounding of civil society and research organisations, censorship of information, the suppression of protest, are harbingers of a full-blown system of rule where all the interlocking parts add up to the one objective of tyrannical rule: To create pervasive fear.These actions are alarming, not because this or that leader has been targeted. They are alarming because the current BJP government is signaling not just that it will not tolerate the Opposition. It will not, under any circumstances, even contemplate or allow a smooth transition of power. For, what these actions reveal is a ruthless lust for power, combined with a determination to use any means to secure it. Neither the form of power the BJP seeks, nor the ends they deploy to achieve it, knows any constraints or bounds. That is the quintessential hallmark of tyranny.In a democracy, a smooth transition of power in a fair election requires several conditions. The ruthless crushing of the Opposition and the squelching of liberty erodes these conditions. The first is that professional politicians treat each other as members of the same profession, not as existential enemies to be vanquished by any means. Once a regime does that to its opponents, it fears the consequences of losing power. It can no longer rest in the comfortable belief that democracy is a game of rotating power; transitions should be routine. Can you now imagine Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Amit Shah or their minions calmly contemplating the prospect that they could ever be in the Opposition, after the hubris they have deployed against opponents and critics? The hallmark of tyrants is impunity in power and therefore an existential fear of losing it.The issue is not whether the government is popular. It may well be. Tyranny can be a stepchild of democracy, as Plato knew so well. The insatiable show and assertion of power the BJP is engaged in traps them in a logic where they will seek to create the conditions in which a fair and open contest is no longer possible. Their institutional imagination is paranoid — desperately trying to shut out even the slightest opening from which light might appear. What else but a paranoid system would target small think tanks or civil society organisations that do social service? What else but a paranoid system would appear to politically orchestrate a disqualification of an Opposition MP?And this same paranoia will make the prospect of even risking a fair electoral contest from now on a non-starter. Paranoia is the seed of all repression and we are now seeing it in full measure.Political parties that situate themselves as unique vanguards of a majoritarian national identity find it difficult to relinquish power. In normal politics there are many sides to an argument, and we can all pretend that different sides are acting in good faith even when we disagree. But when the ideological project is singularly communal and wears the garb of nationalism, every dissent is treated as treason. Ideological parties like the BJP will play by the electoral rules when they are not in a position to wield power, or when they feel electorally secure. But once this regime is entrenched, it will think it is its historical destiny to act as a kind of nationalist vanguard, no matter what the circumstances.In its own imagination, this nationalism will justify everything: From playing footloose with the law to outright violence. It has institutionalised vigilantism, violence and hate into the fabric of politics and the state. But this culture is not just difficult to dismantle. It is also part of a preparation to exercise other options in case a purely political hold on power is no longer possible. Parties that have institutionalised structures of violence are less likely to give up power unless they are massively repudiated.But the logic of tyranny goes further. Increasingly, the issue is not just the weaknesses of the Opposition parties. Even in the wake of this disqualification, Congress’s political reflexes, the willingness of its members to risk anything, and its ability to mobilise street power, is seriously in doubt. Opposition unity is still a chimera, more performative at the moment than real.But has the psychology of tyranny now been internalised by enough Indians to make resistance more difficult? India still has the potential for protest on many issues. But what is increasingly in doubt is whether India wishes to resist deepening authoritarianism.To take one example, India’s elites, broadly understood, have gone well past the quotidian fear of those in power. This kind of fear often expresses itself in a gap between public utterances and private beliefs. But what is happening is something far more insidious, where a combination of fear or outright support for government is so deeply internalised that even private demurring from blatantly authoritarian and communal actions has become rare. Ask any victim, who has been the object of the state’s wrath, whether they are at the receiving end of horrendous violence, or targets of administrative or legal harassment. Even the private shows of support will disappear as swiftly as the state intervenes. This suggests either a deep-seated cowardice or a normalisation of authoritarianism.The hallmark of a successful tyranny is to induce a sense of unreality in those who support it. This sense of unreality means no disconfirming evidence can dent their support for the regime. In this world, India has little unemployment, its institutions are fine, it has ascended to the glorious heights of world leadership, it has not ceded any territory to China, and there is no concentration of capital or regulatory capture. But the unreality centres mostly on the lynchpin of this system of tyranny, the prime minister. In his hands, repression becomes an act of purification, his hubris a mark of his ambition, his decimation of institutions a national service.Institutionally and psychologically, we are already inhabiting a tyranny, even if its violence is not in your face. A regime that is paranoid and full of impunity will overreach. But what is the threshold of overreach? The threshold seems to be shifting higher and higher. Communalism was unleashed. No reaction. The information order collapsed. No reaction. The judicial heart stopped beating. No reaction. The Opposition is being vanquished by unfair means. No reaction. Such is the logic of tyranny that the ogres of oppression roam free, while we look on indifferently as justice and freedom are tied in chains.
Rahul Gandhi was convicted of criminal defamation by a court in Gujarat.New Delhi: The BJP on Sunday hit out at the Congress for its protests against the disqualification of party leader Rahul Gandhi from parliament, calling it a campaign against the country's constitution and the court's verdict which found him guilty of defaming an "entire backward community".Addressing a press conference, BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi also dubbed the Congress agitation an "insult" to Mahatma Gandhi, saying while the Father of the Nation had organised Satyagraha for social causes, the Congress was holding "so-called Satyagraha" for personal reasons.The Congress agitation is a "brazen" display of its arrogance after Mr Gandhi's conviction in a defamation case in Gujarat and his "automatic" disqualification as Lok Sabha MP as a result of the court's verdict, he charged.The Congress's 'Sankalp Satyagraha' has nothing to do with fighting for truth, he added.The BJP leader said Gandhi was convicted by a court in Surat after the due legal process and his disqualification as a Lok Sabha MP was an automatic consequence under the relevant law."Then, Satyagraha for what?" the BJP leader asked."Is it to justify the way you insulted the entire backward community of the country, or against the court which sentenced you,PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.comor against the provision under which you have to be disqualified," he said, asking Congress to clarify.Stating that some of the Congress leaders who were allegedly involved in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots were also participating in the party's agitation, the BJP leader asked the opposition party to clarify if their Satyagraha organised at Mahatma Gandhi's Samadhi Sthal in Rajghat was also against 'Ahimsa' (non-violence).
Ashok Gehlot alleged that the BJP government at the Centre was also misusing agencies(FILE)Bharatpur: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday claimed the judiciary is under pressure and the 'Modi surname remark' over which a Gujarat court sentenced Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to two years in jail was just a "political" comment.But at the same time, the Congress veteran said he has faith in the Judiciary and the right verdict will come in time – an apparent reference to the possibility of a higher court overturning the ruling.Mr Gehlot alleged that the BJP government at the Centre was also misusing agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate."Today there is pressure on Judiciary, pressure on Election Commissions, ED, Income Tax, CBI, which are premium agencies and their credibility used to be huge, are being misused. When such an atmosphere prevails, such rulings are made…every ruling (faisla) is influenced," he said."I have full faith in judiciary that the right decision will be taken in the coming time," the Chief Minister said.A court in Surat in Gujarat on Thursday sentenced Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to two years in jail in a 2019 criminal defamation case filed against him over his "Modi surname" remarks.The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate HH Varma, which held Mr Gandhi guilty under Indian Penal Code sections 499 and 500, also granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to allow him to appeal in a higher court, the Congress leader's lawyer Babu Mangukiya said."We have seen for 40-50 years, how many such comments Vajpayee ji, Advani ji must have made but that time was different, this time is different. In those days there were no such court cases," Mr Gehlot said."Rahul Gandhi's comment also means that the people with Modi surname think that Modi is our man, he will save us," he said, adding, "This was a political comment." Mr Gehlot said PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and the NDA government do not pay attention to the issues of unemployment, inflation and violence raised by Rahul Gandhi during the Bharat Jodo Yatra but instead are focused on taking revenge.Targeting BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra for calling Rahul Gandhi the present-day Mir Jafar of Indian policy, Mr Gehlot said people who make low-level comments are the face of the BJP."History is witness that the deeds of Mir Jafar were done by Veer Savarkar and the people of RSS during the freedom struggle. While Pandit Nehru and other leaders were in jail, Veer Savarkar apologised many times in writing," he said.PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com"When the freedom struggle was going on against the British, what was the role of RSS? Did even a single person take part in the freedom struggle? They link Rahul Gandhi with Mir Zafar, they should be ashamed of this. RSS played the role of Mir Zafar and betrayed the country," he added.(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
A SENIOR official in the Gujarat Chief Minister’s Office resigned Friday over links between his son, who is a businessman associated with the BJP, and “conman” Kiran Patel, who is in J&K custody for posing as an official of the Prime Minister’s Office.Hitesh Pandya, additional public relations officer in the Gujarat CMO, submitted his resignation Friday evening after nearly 22 years in the office where he served under five chief ministers, including Keshubhai Patel, Narendra Modi, Anandiben Patel, Vijay Rupani and Bhupendra Patel.Speaking to The Indian Express, 73-year-old Pandya said, “I have tendered my resignation to the Chief Minister (Bhupendra Patel). Nobody asked me to resign. I felt I should resign. I will wind up my pending work by March 31 and be relieved from the office.”Earlier, speaking to this newspaper hours before his resignation, Pandya acknowledged that his 43-year-old son Amit had visited J&K this month along with Kiran Patel “for business purpose” with his consent. Amit and another man identified as Jay Sitapara were accompanying Kiran Patel when he was arrested in J&K earlier this month. Amit and Sitapara have been called by J&K police for questioning in the case.According to Pandya, Amit is “innocent” and “a witness” in the case against Kiran Patel. Asked about his son’s current location, Pandya said, “He is in Kashmir indeed. And I have been saying from day one that he had been called (by J&K police) to record his statement as a witness.”According to Pandya, his son deals in home security appliances like CCTV cameras through his firm Safe Solution. He also said that Amit has been associated with the BJP and was convener of the party’s social media cell in Gujarat’s North Zone.“As part of party reshuffle, he was relieved of his responsibilities as convener of the party’s social media cell’s north zone in January this year,” Pandya said. When contacted, the cell’s state convenor Manan Dani confirmed that Amit was the convenor for North Zone till January 2023.Pandya, meanwhile, denied any knowledge of Kiran Patel having any links to the CMO. But he acknowledged that in 2011, Patel was associated with a private organisation floated by him called Nation First Foundation (NFF).“I started it in 2011 to propagate Modi saheb’s ideas. I am the founder of the organisation…Our work was only related to serving the nation. Then we had done a Bharat Jago Abhiyan to create awareness among people towards the BJP government’s works and projects… He (Kiran Patel) came into contact because he was with Amit. And he joined NFF,” Pandya said.Asked specifically about Amit’s association with Kiran Patel, Pandya said, “They were working in a publicity company in 2004. And I know him as Amit’s friend… But in 2011 itself, I realised that he (Kiran) was not a person to be kept with us. So, I relieved him and all the people with him (from NFF)…I did not find his dealings and billing proper…Then, he (Kiran Patel) started his own organisation”.Asked why he didn’t warn his son about Kiran Patel, Pandya said, “As a friend he can be with anyone. Secondly, he is a businessman. If you think that a person can get you business, why would you break the relationship? He was keeping him away without snapping the relationship.”This, Pandya said, changed after Amit suffered a “rare heart condition”. “In September last year, Amit’s heart had stopped… and he still survived. I had written a story about that in some newspapers. He (Kiran) read it and reached the hospital to see Amit. After that, he increased his contact with Amit. Then, he told Amit that he has lot of work in Kashmir and he can go with him.”According to Pandya, Amit left for J&K with Kiran Patel “after asking me”. “He had gone for business purpose…He wanted to put forward a business proposal related to CCTVs,” he said.“After Kiran’s arrest, Amit and Jay were kept in a hotel and their statements recorded. Then, they were let go and told that they will have to come whenever called…His statement was recorded as a witness,” he said.According to Pandya, “After getting to know about the case (from Amit), I immediately informed the Chief Minister (Bhupendra Patel) and others who I felt needed to be informed.”Pandya has had one of the longest tenures in the Gujarat CMO, having been posted there since 2001 initially as assistant PRO in a lateral appointment. He was earlier employed with Life Corporation of India, and had also worked with Rajkot daily “Phulchhab”.
Kiran Bhai Patel was arrested on March 2.Srinagar: Hitesh Pandya, a senior official in the Gujarat Chief Minister's office, has resigned following a massive controversy over his son being part of a fake 'official' team of "Prime Minister's Office" which tricked the Jammu and Kashmir administration and security apparatus to secure a Z-plus security cover, official accommodation at a five-star hotel, and a lot more.Amit Hitesh Pandya, son of Mr Pandya, was part of a fake 'official team' led by conman Kiran Bhai Patel who made headlines after his arrest early this month. Mr Pandya, who was serving as the Gujarat Chief Minister's Public Relations Officer (PRO) since 2001, tendered his resignation to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel yesterday evening In his resignation letter, Mr Pandya has reportedly said that he doesn't want the image of the Prime Minister's Office and the Gujarat Chief Minister's Office to be tarnished, even as his son is "innocent"."My son is innocent. However, I don't want the image of the CMO and the PMO tarnished, and hence I am resigning from the post," Mr Pandya is reported to have said in the resignation letter.Gujarat BJP has also reportedly suspended Amit Pandya from the primary membership of the party. He was in charge of the party's social media department for the north zone in Gujarat.Jammu and Kashmir police, however, has not named Amit Pandya as accused in the fake PMO team case. Amit and his fellow Gujarati accomplice, Jay Sitapara, have instead been made witnesses in the case.The conman Kiran Bahi Patel was arrested earlier this month after enjoying official protocol for over four months while posing as a senior PMO official. However, Amit and Jay Sitapara were let off by police.They were called back for questioning last week. A senior police official said the duo may have "fallen into the trap" of the conman.The conman had visited multiple places, including forward posts along the Line of Control. The team had also held meetings with officials in various districts across Kashmir before the police were alerted that he was a conman.Earlier, Mr Pandya told NDTV that his son was innocent, and he would never indulge in such an activity."I trust my son. He would never indulge in any such activity" said Mr Pandya.Patel, impersonating an Additional Director for strategy and campaigns in the Prime Minister's Office, was arrested on March 2.But his arrest was kept a secret by the police for two weeks. The details of the 'high profile' arrest emerged only after a magistrate sent him to judicial custody on March 15.Sources say Amit Hitesh Pandya, Jay Sitapara from Gujarat, and Trilok Singh from Rajasthan were also staying with Patel at a five-star hotel in Srinagar and impersonating an official team from the Prime Minister's Office.The "PMO team" has been visiting Kashmir since October last year. Sources say an IAS officer who is a district magistrate in south Kashmir had initially informed the security wing of the police about the visit of a "senior PMO officer".He was eventually given Z plus security by the security wing, and local police would also accompany the 'VIP' wherever he and his team visited during their multiple trips since October.PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.comPatel is also verified on Twitter and has over a thousand followers, including BJP Gujarat General Secretary Pradipsinh Vaghela.He shared several videos and pictures of his 'official visits' in Kashmir surrounded by paramilitary guards, the last of which was on March 2.
