My Opinion

Anupam Kher has made some valuable observations and I personally feel that Shahrukh has not said anything that makes him anti national. To compare him to Hafiz Sayeed or to tell him to go to Pakistan only corroborates Shahrukh’s views on intolerance. He is a superstar with a huge fan following. He has every right to his opinion. We may not agree with what he says, we may choose to contradict what he says but to compare him to Hafiz Sayeed, or to tell him to go to Pakistan and question his nationality, is simply without any basis. I feel it is best for Shahrukh to ignore such comments and not allow them to affect him.

It is interesting to note while at home Narendra Modi is at the receiving end of his opponents and more of his own party people who with their contentious statements are bringing down the country’s image, abroad he is being recognised for his work. India’s Prime Minister finds his place in this year’s Forbes list of the World’s Most Powerful People. The list also includes Vladimir Putin, Barack Obama, Angela Merkel, David Cameron and Chinese President Xi Jinping. However with the debates on growing intolerance in the country and repeated questions being raised, the Prime Minister once and for all should come out strongly and outline his government’s views on this issue.

I feel Kailash Vijayvargiya has done injustice to Shah Rukh Khan by giving such statements. Shah Rukh has the right to express himself and saying that his soul is in Pakistan is completely wrong. Vijayvargiya is a very senior BJP leader, he should think twice before giving statements because his statements will have an impact among the masses. People like Hafiz Saeed will take this to their advantage.

Gangster Chhota Rajan is trying to assert his patriotism by repeatedly saying that he will continue to fight against Dawood whom he considers an enemy of the State. But like Dawood, Chhota Rajan too is a mafia don and he along with Dawood have together committed several crimes. There are 72 cases against him which include 17 cases of murder, extortion, kidnapping, drug trafficking, 12 cases registered under MCOCA and 4 under TADA. There is probably no crime that Chhota Rajan hasn’t committed. Instead of glorifying him and giving him any preferential treatment, he should be dealt with in the most stringent manner. He should be punished like other criminals who have waged wars against our country.

The Madheshi agitation has impacted Indo-Nepal relations too. China is taking advantage of this situation. Till date, Nepal imported petrol and diesel only from India. But for the first time in the history of Nepal, China has sent 73.5 metric tonnes of petrol and diesel to the Himalayan nation via road.

Politicians must understand the fact that during elections nothing will work except for the people’s mandate. Jantar Mantar, Astrologers or Tantriks. None of these will work.

Banning media coverage of dreaded terrorist Hafiz Saeed is just another move by the Pakistani government. Just 10 days back, Nawaz Sharif met Obama in Washington and promised to take action against Lashker-e-Taiba. Hence, his govt has taken this move. Not showing Saeed on TV will have negative impact. Nobody will come to know on how he recruits young boys, gives training and spreading terrorism. Neither Saeed’s public meetings nor the terrorist camps will close due to this move. If Pakistan really needs to prove the world that it is against terrorism, then it should send Saeed behind the bars.

India will get crucial details of Dawood Ibrahim once Chhota Rajan is deported to India. Rajan used to work with Dawood until 1993 and was his closes aide. Rajan is aware of Dawood’s network in Mumbai and his businesses across the globe. This will help security agencies in nabbing Dawood. Even Dawood has this fear, that is why he wants to kill Chhota Rajan and has been trying for many years now.

The first four phases of Bihar Assembly polls has been completed. 184 seats out of 243 have gone to poll. Now, only the last leg is left. Both BJP and Lalu-Nitish are on with full force. The results of these polls will be out on November 8. Whatever may be the result, it will have a big impact on national politics. These polls will also enlighten us with mood of the country till 2019.

The India Africa Summit has been organised in a bid to challenge China’s presence in Africa. China is organising a mega Africa Summit in Johannesburg in December this year. While Prime Minister Modi announced a huge package of assistance, India is hopeful that more than fifty African nations will support its candidature for a permanent seat at the UN Security Council thereby strengthening India’s position at the UN. On UNSC reforms the Prime Minister added that India and Africa will have to speak in one voice.

Amit Shah was at his belligerent best today. While campaigning in Bihar he has all along either highlighted his party’s achievements, or has spoken out against the failures of the Bihar government while hitting out at the grand alliance. But today while addressing a rally for the first time he spoke on communal lines. The BJP President said if his party is defeated, there would be celebrations in Pakistan. He even warned that cow meat would be sold openly and reservation would be determined on communal lines. In the final stages of campaigning in Bihar, BJP is clearly shifting gears. If caste matters the most for Lalu & Nitish, for BJP it is the communal colour in these elections.

It was generally thought that Dhoni and Sehwag were not on best of terms and that Dhoni was responsible for Sehwag’s ouster from the Indian team. However today on Aap Ki Adalat, Virender Sehwag clearly stated that it was his poor form and not the so-called differences between the two that led to his omission. He said it would not be correct to blame the Indian captain since he was consistently underperforming in both test and one day matches. He even maintained that Dhoni should remain the captain till the next World Cup. He also expressed his disappointment at BCCI for having remained silent on his plea to retire while playing. A player like Virender Sehwag should have certainly been given the opportunity to hang up his boots while on the pitch. The least the BCCI can do now is to accord him an honourable farewell during the final test match between India and South Africa in Delhi.