Infiltrators from Bangladesh : Amit Shah acts tough
In a pointed attack on West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Home Minister Amit Shah has held Trinamool Congress government responsible for the influx of illegal migrants from Bangladesh. In Parliament, while speaking on the Immigration and Foreigners Bill, Shah alleged that infiltrators from Bangladesh enter West Bengal, get their Aadhar card and Voter I-card made, and then go to Delhi and other cities of India. Amit Shah said, India is not a ‘dharmshala’ where anybody can enter. “75 per cent of fencing of India-Bangladesh border is complete, but work on the remaining 25 per cent is not progressing because West Bengal government is not providing land for constructing the fence”, Shah alleged. Shah also attacked Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin on the issue of Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka. Shah said, the Centre is following the same policy that was being pursued by the previous UPA government. The question is not about Tamil refugees or Bangladeshi infiltrators. Illegal immigration has now become a global issue. US President Donald Trump had made it a big issue in the presidential election and now his administration is deporting all illegal immigrants from America. In India, laws against illegal immigrants were made before Independence and they are still in force. Matters relating to foreigners and immigration are presently administered through four legislations: Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920; the Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939; the Foreigners Act, 1946; and the Immigration (Carriers’ Liability) Act, 2000. All these old laws are now sought to be repealed through this Bill. If this Bill is enacted, it will be difficult for any foreigner to settle in India illegally. The new law will make it easier to deport illegal migrants and naturally, Mamata Banerjee will not be happy. The punishment proposed is severe. Illegal migrants will have to undergo imprisonment up to two years and this may extend to seven years. They may have to pay fines ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakhs.
At the same time, Amit Shah has tried to settle scores with Mamata Banerjee by telling people how illegal migrants get their Aadhar and Voter I-cards made.
Political game in the name of Waqf Bill protest
Muslims in several cities of India wore black arm bands while offering Alvida Namaaz marking the end of the holy month of Ramzan. All India Muslim Personal Law Board had appealed to Muslims to wear black arm bands during namaaz as a mark of protest against Waqf Amendment Bill. Meanwhile, Muslims organizations boycotted iftar parties hosted by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu. AIMPLB, Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind and Jamaat-e-Islami will be holding anti-Waqf Bill protest in Vijaywada, Andhra Pradesh on Saturday. In Chennai, ruling DMK-led alliance got a resolution passed in state assembly opposing the Bill. Muslim organizations and Islamic clerics have made the Waqf issue a matter of show of strength. They are unwilling to debate the pros and cons of this Bill and are trying to create fear in the minds of Muslims by saying that the government would take control of mosques and graveyards by getting this Bill passed. Those who have framed this Bill say there is no such provision in the Bill. On the political side, Muslims leaders are trying to intimidate Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu. The matter has now become political and parties indulging in Muslim vote bank politics are pouring oil on fire. One point to note, Islamic clerics have so far failed to get poorer sections of Muslims to come out and protest against the Bill.
People’s trust in judiciary must remain intact, come what may.
The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a PIL seeking registration of FIR in the matter of recovery of huge pile of cash from the official residence of Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma. The apex court bench of Justices Abhay S. Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan, said, the PIL was ‘premature’, and the court said, it cannot interfere at this stage. The apex court further said, “If the in-house inquiry panel finds the HC judge guilty, the Chief Justice of India will have the option of directing registration of FIR or refer matter to Parliament. Today is not the time to consider it.” Meanwhile, Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna on Thursday assured lawyers that he would consider the demand for withdrawing the recommendation to transfer Delhi High Court judge Yashwant Varma to the Allahabad High Court. Representatives of six high court bar associations, including Allahabad High Court Bar Association (AHCBA) president Anil Tiwari, met the CJI and four collegium members, Justices B R Gavai, Surya Kant, Abhay S Oka and Vikram Nath. The CJI said, in any case, Justice Varma would not be discharging any judicial function at the Allahabad High Court as well. On Thursday, the SC-appointed inhouse inquiry panel of three judges recorded the statement of Delhi Fire Service chief. On instructions from the inquiry panel, mobile phones of eight policemen from Tughlak Road police station, including its SHO, who were present on the day of fire incident have been seized for forensic checks. Meanwhile, Justice Varma’s legal team appeared before the inhouse inquiry panel to put forth the views of the judge. It seems the Supreme Court collegium is walking on a thin razor’s edge while handling this case. On one hand, it has to ensure that the trust of people in judiciary remains intact and for this, a free and fair probe is necessary. Secondly, there is the challenge of maintaining the independence of judiciary. That is why, the probe cannot be handed over to any other investigating agency. Thirdly, there is political pressure. It was said in Parliament on Thursday why the matter should not be handed over to the Lokpal? One Congress leader asked the Law Minister to give a statement in Parliament. There is also talk of reviving the NJAC Bill, in a new format. Another challenge is about the situation evolving in Allahabad High Court, where the Bar Association members have gone on strike. The arguments given by this Bar Association appear to be justified. The Association is asking why a judge, facing allegations, should be repatriated to his parent court? For the Supreme Court, to maintain a balance amidst all such pressures is a difficult job. I believe, come what may, people’s trust in the judiciary must remain intact. The trust in the judicial system must not end because of a single judge.
Amit Shah on Ambedkar : Congress, Edited Video and Fake Narrative
There was high-octane politics over a fake narrative created on the basis of a 11-second video from Home Minister Amit Shah’s speech in Rajya Sabha. Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, Trinamool Congress and Samajwadi Party alleged that Shah had “insulted” Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar during his speech. Responding, Amit Shah challenged Congress to prove its allegation and urged media to show the complete video of his speech. At a press conference, Amit Shah recounted the times when Congress “insulted” Ambedkar during its rule. He named Congress leaders who hurled insults at Ambedkar in the past.
On the other hand, Congress workers staged protests in different cities and party president Mallikarjun Kharge demanded that Shah be dismissed from Cabinet. Kharge went to the extent of warning that “the country will be on fire” if Shah did not resign. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi joined the fray and lashed out at Amit Shah.
The Home Minister said, a 11-second portion from his 85-minute speech was edited and made viral on social media to mislead the people. He reminded how Narendra Modi accorded full honours to Ambedkar, while the Congress deliberately insulted the maker of the Constitution.
Both Houses of Parliament could not transact any business due to uproar. BJP chief J P Nadda said, Congress leaders became worried when Amit Shah exposed the “sins” of their party in Rajya Sabha, and they were trying to “hide their sins by taking recourse to lies”. Outside Parliament, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, along with Kharge and other Congress MPs staged protests, while party workers staged protests in several cities.
Since the matter was sensitive and related to Dr Ambedkar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reacted in a series of six tweets on X. Modi wrote, “if the Congress and its rotten eco-system think their malicious lies can hide their misdeeds of several years, especially their insult towards Dr. Ambedkar, they are gravely mistaken. The people India have seen time and again how one party, led by one dynasty, has indulged in every possible dirty trick to obligerate the legacy of Dr. Ambedkar and humiliate the SC/ST communities.”
Modi further tweeted: “The list of the Congress’ sins towards Dr. Ambedkar includes: Getting him defeated in elections not once, but twice, Pandit Nehru campaigning against him and making his loss a prestige issue, Denying him a Bharat Ratna, Denying his portrait a place of pride in Parliament’s Central Hall…. In Parliament, HM @AmitShah Ji exposed the Congress’ dark history of insulting Dr. Ambedkar and ignoring the SC/ST communities. They are clearly stung and stunned by the facts he presented, which is why they are now indulging in theatrics! Sadly, for them, people know the truth.”
In Delhi, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal with his supporters, carrying banners, posters against Amit Shah, went to BJP headquarters to stage protest, while in Mumbai, Uddhav Thackeray’s son Aditya Thackeray went to Deeksha Bhoomi to pay respects to Dr. Ambedkar.
From Kolkata, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee tweeted on X: “The mask has fallen!…..Amit Shah chose to tarnish this occasion with derogatory remarks against Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, that too, in the temple of democracy. This is a display of BJP’s casteist and anti-Dalit mindset. If this is how they behave after being reduced to 240 seats, imagine the damage they would have inflicted if their dream of 400 seats had been realised. They would have rewritten history to entirely erase Dr. Ambedkar’s contributions. Amit Shah’s remarks are an insult to the millions who look up to Babasaheb for guidance and inspiration…”
Watching Amit Shah’s Rajya Sabha speech in full, it is amply clear how a fake narrative can be set by posting an edited video. Congress party tried to do this by posting this 11-second video to project that Amit Shah insulted Ambedkar. If one watches his full speech, it will be clear how he repeatedly tried to prove how Congress insulted Amedkar over the years. It is not a secret that Ambedkar had policy differences with Pandit Nehru and it has been recorded in history.
The question today is not about facts, but about perception that can be created through fake narrative. Amit Shah had to call a press conference to explain his views. Amit Shah understands the power of social media, where a half-truth can be made viral within minutes. Social media has the power to project a rope as a snake, and vice-versa. BJP could have ignored this, but in Hindi, there is a proverb “Doodh Ka Jalaa Chaach Ko Phoonk Phoonk Kar Peeta Hai” (Once bitten, twice shy).
In this year’s Lok Sabha elections, Congress created a big narrative about reservations, Constitution and Dr. Ambedkar. Congress leaders tried to strike fear in the minds of voters by saying that BJP wanted to win more than 400 Lok Sabha seats, because it wants to end caste reservation policy propounded by Ambedkar in the Constitution. BJP delayed in countering it and had to face electoral losses. This time, BJP is alert and it did not waste time. Amit Shah played from the front foot and exposed the fake narrative. To counter the 11-second video, he placed nearly a hundred facts about “sins” of Congress. Now, it may be difficult for Congress to reply to these allegations.
Had Amit Shah remained silent, it could have caused damage. The reverse will now happen, because BJP is on the offensive. BJP is going to spread facts about differences between Ambedkar and Nehru and “insults” meted out to Ambedkar by the Congress party.
Amit Shah is a clever player in politics. The issue about Constitution which could have died down after the Parliament session, will now take a long, winding course in Indian politics. This incident also proves, while social media can create a fake narrative based on short videos, the mainstream media can be trusted to project the truth by giving the full picture.
How Amit Shah showed the mirror to Congress
Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday showed the mirror to Congress while winding up the debate in Rajya Sabha on “75 glorious years of Indian Constitution”. He alleged that the Congress was anti-Constitution, anti-reservation and anti-poor. Shah also alleged that the Congress misused power to help only Nehru-Gandhi family and tinkered with the Constitution to help the family. He contrasted this with Narendra Modi, who amended Constitution only for the benefit of Dalits, backwards, tribals and economically weaker sections.
Amit Shah said, those who are openly displaying the copy of the Constitution do not understand its real spirit. On Rahul Gandhi’s assertion that the Congress would work towards removing the maximum 50 per cent cap on reservation, Shah warned that the Congress wants to give reservation to Muslims. “As long as BJP has even one MP in Parliament, we will not allow any reservation on the basis of religion”, Shah said. “They want to give reservation to Muslims by increasing the cap of 50 per cent, but we will not allow that, at any cost”, he added.
Shah challenged the Congress to clarify if it supported Muslim Personal Law in a secular country like India. “If so”, he said, “why don’t you bring Shariah law which provides for chopping off hands of thieves and stoning people to death?”.
Amit Shah said, BJP would bring uniform civil code in every state, on the lines of Uttarakhand, and this model law will be enacted in all states through democratic process. He blamed the nation’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for bringing Muslim Personal Law instead of Uniform Civil Code, which was favoured by the maker of the Constitution Dr B R Ambedkar. “This”, he said, “marked the beginning of appeasement politics in India and was followed by Rajiv Gandhi who rejected the Supreme Court’s Shah Bano case judgement to amend Muslim Personal Law.”
On the contrary, Narendra Modi, Amit Shah said, amended the Constitution to give 33 per cent seats to women in Parliament and state legislatures, gave 10 per cent reservation to economically weaker sections among upper castes, and granted statutory status to Backward Classes Commission.
The Home Minister specifically targeted the Congress in his speech. In a lighter mood, he gave Congress the formula to win elections. Shah said, Congress can win only if casts off dynastic politics, appeasement of minorities and corruption in governance. This was Amit Shah’s sharpest attack on the Congress. BJP had all along been projecting itself as different from Congress on these three points.
In another striking comparison, Amit Shah explained the difference between why Congress amended the Constitution and how Modi amended it. Congress, he said, always amended the Constitution to save its “kursi” (throne), while Modi amended it for the betterment of the poor and backward classes.
One must try to understand the examples cited by Amit Shah. He said, Congress amended the Constitution to put curbs on freedom of speech and expression and to trample the fundamental rights of citizens. Shah is corrected. The black days of Emergency were witness to such amendments. Shah replied to three main allegations that have been levelled against the BJP in recent weeks.
On Rahul Gandhi’s allegation that BJP wants to change the Constitution and end reservations, Shah cited examples of how Modi government amended Constitution to give more rights to the poor and backward sections.
On the second allegation that BJP indulges in vote bank politics and harasses Muslims, Amit Shah mentioned the Shah Bano case judgement rejected by Rajiv Gandhi’s government and the Triple Talaq Abolition law enacted by Modi. He said, it was the Congress which robbed Muslim women of their post-divorce maintenance rights, whereas Modi gave Muslim women protection by abolishing Triple Talaq.
The third allegation levelled by opposition was BJP wins elections by tampering with electronic voting machines. Shah replied that assembly poll results of Maharashtra and Jharkhand came on the same day. In Maharashtra, the BJP-led coalition swept the elections, while JMM-led coalition won the Jharkhand polls. “How can EVMs be good in one state and bad in another state?”, Shah asked. Opposition leaders are not going to leave the EVM issue, because on Tuesday itself, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray described Devendra Fadnavis’ government as “EVM sarkar”.