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Archives for September 2018

India to make ‘sovereign decision’ on Russian weapons purchase: Lavrov

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India will make a “sovereign decision” on Russian defence purchases, which are facing possible US sanctions, according to Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

“I understand that India will be taking sovereign decision (on) how to proceed and what kind of weapons it needs,” he said at a news conference here on Friday.

Asked by a reporter if the proposed $8.5 billion defence deal with Russia, which includes a missile defence system, that was expected to be signed next month during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India was on hold, Lavrov said: “I haven’t heard anything about the timing, about postponement, about putting anything on hold.”

In response to another question if Russia would be adding “checks and balances” to its defence deals with India in the light of the controversies over the purchase of Rafale jets from France, Lavrov said he was not aware of the allegations of corruption and added, “We participated in the deal for the delivery of that (but) we did not get it.”

Six manufacturers, including Mikoyan MiG-35, competed for the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) tender. The MiG-35 was eliminated in an initial round and Dassault’s Rafale emerged the winner for the contract.

The Countering Americaa¿s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) passed last year by the US Congress imposes sanctions on some Russian companies as well as on their customers and this could impact India’s defence deals with Russia.

India will need exemptions from CAATSA to buy the S-400 Triumf missile defence system as well as frigates and helicopters.

While India raised the issue during the recent 2+2 Strategic Dialogue between the Defence and External Affairs Ministers of India and the US Secretaries of Defence and State in New Delhi, a categorical exemption is yet to be made.

When the Congress tried earlier this year to prevent President Donald Trump’s administration from granting exemptions, Defence Secretary James Mattis made an appeal citing India to allow the administration to exempt deals and finally prevailed.

So the Trump administration continues to have the power to exempt India.

(IANS)

Panel sends Kavanaugh nomination to full Senate

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The US Senate Judiciary Committee voted 11-10 Friday to send the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the full Senate.

Prior to the party-line vote, Republican Sen. Jeff Flake said that he reached an accord with the Democratic minority to call for the Senate to delay a final vote on Kavanaugh by one week to allow an FBI investigation of sexual abuse allegations against the nominee, Efe reported.

Friday’s session ended in confusion, as the committee chair, Republican Chuck Grassley, called an abrupt halt, citing the two-hour limit on hearings when the full Senate is in session.

Three women have accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting them several decades ago.

One of those women is Christine Blasey Ford, who attended a judiciary committee hearing on Thursday to testify that Kavanaugh attempted to rape her in 1982.

During Friday’s session, Democrats accused Republicans of ignoring the alleged victim, who had to testify in public before a committee made up of a large majority of men, while they insisted on the need for the FBI to carry out an investigation into the allegations.

The ranking Democrat on the committee, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, also criticized Kavanaugh’s declarations on Thursday, when he appeared defiant and angry.

“This was not someone who reflected an impartial temperament or the fairness and even-handedness one would see in a judge, this was someone who was aggressive and belligerent,” she said.

“I have never seen someone who wants to be elevated to the highest court in our country behave in that manner,” Feinstein added.

Despite the meeting of minds between Flake and committee Democrats, the decision on whether to delay a vote rests with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

President Donald Trump said he was prepared to let the Senate leadership decide on the timing of vote.

“I’m going to rely on all of the people, including Sen. Grassley, who’s doing a very good job,” Trump said.

“That’ll be a decision that they’re going to make, and I suspect they’ll be making some decision soon, whether to take a vote or to do whatever else they want to do,” the president added.

“I will be totally reliant on what Sen. Grassley and the group decides to do,” Trump told reporters during a photo opportunity in the Oval Office with visiting Chilean President Sebastian Piñera.

(IANS)

Asia Cup Final: India pips Bangladesh in last ball thriller

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In a match going down the wire, Ravindra Jadeja and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar’s sensible knock helped India pip Bangladesh by three wickets in a thrilling Asia Cup final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium here on Saturday.

The win also shattered Bangladesh’s dream of their maiden Asia Cup title while the Rohit Sharma-led Indian side clinched the prestigious title for a record seven times.

Chasing a modest 223-run target, India lost wickets at regular intervals to make the contest unpredictable, thanks to a disciplined Bangladesh bowling attack.

However, in a match going down the wire, Jadeja (23) and Bhuvneshwar’s (21) rose up to the occassion and their knock came at at a time when their team needed the most.

Openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan started the proceedings well as India raced away to 35 runs in 4.3 overs however, the joy was shortlived as left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam came with the first breakthrought for Bangladesh.

Dhawan (15), while trying to go over Nazmul’s head, gave an easy catch to Soumya Sarkar at mid-off.

With just the addition of another 11 runs, India received another blow as incoming batsman Ambati Rayudu (2) fell cheaply off a Mashrafe Mortaza ball, leaving India at 46/2.

Rohit and Dinesh Karthik then tried to put things in control as they took their side near the three-digit mark. But, just when the Indian skipper was two runs away from his half-century, Rubel Hossain handed another jolt to the opponents, dismissing a good-looking Rohit to leave the men in blue reeling at 83/3.

Karthik was then joined by M.S. Dhoni and they gave some respite to India, adding a crucial 55 run for the fourth wicket.

Just when the partnership seemed developing, off-spinner Mahmudullah struck to add another twist in the tale, packing back Karthik (37) as India’s scorecard read 137/4.

As India managed to add 27 runs to reach a total of 160 with incoming batsman Kedar Jadhav and Dhoni oncrease, Mustafizur Rahman put India in deep trouble, sending back the latter on 36 runs.

Dhoni’s thick edge of the bat landed in the gloves of Mushfiqur Rahim in the 37th over before Jadhav left the field after being retired hurt with India still 56 runs away from victory.

Jadeja and part-time batsman Bhuvaneshwar’s sensible knock then not only gave India a hope but also inched their side on the doors of victory.

The duo were involved in a 45-run partnership as India crossed the 200-run mark. However, with India just 11 runs away from their seventh Asia Cup title, Jadeja (23) became a victim of Hossain in the 48th over.

His fall saw Jadhav once again joining the pitch but very soon, the issue once again turned in Bangladesh’s way as Bhuveneshwar, while trying to drive a delivery by Mustafizur Rahman, was caught brilliantly by stumper Rahim, who dived his right to take an excellent catch.

Denying the opponents any further onslaught, Jadhav (23) and Kedar (5) guided India home in a match which went to the final ball.

For Bangladesh, Mustafizur Rahman and Rubel Hossain picked two wickets each while Nazmul, Mortaza and Mahmudullah bagged one wicket apiece.

Earlier, opener Liton Das’ brilliant century had helped Bangladesh post 222.

Bangladesh got off to a flying start but lack of support from the middle and lower order batsmen and some brilliant fielding from Indian players saw Bangladesh only managing to score a modest total.

Das played 117 balls and slammed 121 runs which include 12 boundaries and two sixes and built a perfect platform for a big score but some poor shot selection from other batsmen cost the Bangladesh camp.

Put in to bat, Das and Mehidy Hasan (32) played handsomely and forged a brilliant 120-run partnership before Hasan was dismissed by Jadhav. The two played sensibly and often thrashed Indian bowlers all around the park.

Unperturbed by the fall of Hasan’s wicket, Das kept on playing his natural game but middle-order batsmen Imrul Kayes (2), Mushfiqur Rahim (5), Mohammad Mithun (2) and Mahmudullah (4) failed drastically.

All of them gifted away their wickets, thanks to careless shot selection.

With five batsman back to the pavilion at 151, Das, along with Sarkar (33), tried to reconstruct the innings but was dismissed in the process. Wicketkeeper Dhoni stumped Das off Kuldeep in the 40th over.

Mortaza (7) fell prey Kuldeep after playing nine balls.

Sarkar kept playing at the other end but was run out in the penultimate over while trying to increase the run rate. His 45-ball knock was laced with one boundary and one six.

In the very next ball, Jasprit Bumrah clean bowled Hossain (0) to wrap up the innings in style.

For India, Kuldeep scalped three wickets while Jadhav took two wickets.

Brief scores: India 223/7 in 50 overs (Rohit Sharma 48, Dinesh Karthik 37; Rubel Hossain 2/26) beat Bangladesh 222 all out (Liton Das 121; Kuldeep Yadav 3/45) by three wickets.

(IANS)

Hackers broke into 50 mn users’ accounts, says Facebook

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In the biggest-ever security breach after Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook on Friday admitted hackers broke into nearly 50 million users’ accounts by stealing their “access tokens” or digital keys.

This allowed them to steal Facebook access tokens which they could then use to take over people’s accounts, Facebook said in a statement.

Access tokens are the equivalent of digital keys that keep people logged in to Facebook so they do not need to re-enter their password every time they use the app.

“Our investigation is still in its early stages. But it’s clear that attackers exploited a vulnerability in Facebook’s code that impacted ‘View As’, a feature that lets people see what their own profile looks like to someone else,” said Guy Rosen, VP of Product Management.

Facebook security team discovered the security issue on September 25, and it has now fixed the vulnerability and informed the law enforcement.

“We have reset the access tokens of the almost 50 million accounts we know were affected to protect their security.

“We’re also taking the precautionary step of resetting access tokens for another 40 million accounts that have been subject to a ‘View As’ look-up in the last year,” Facebook said.

As a result, around 90 million people will now have to log back into Facebook, or any of their apps that use Facebook login.

After they have logged back in, people will get a notification at the top of their News Feed explaining what happened.

“We’re temporarily turning off the ‘View As’ feature while we conduct a thorough security review,” Facebook said.

This attack exploited the complex interaction of multiple issues in Facebook code.

“The attackers not only needed to find this vulnerability and use it to get an access token, they then had to pivot from that account to others to steal more tokens,” it said.

Facebook said it does not know who is behind this massive security attack.

“We’re working hard to better understand these details and “we will update this post when we have more information, or if the facts change,” said the company.

In the Cambridge Analytica scandal, data of nearly 87 million people was breached upon.

IANS

Modi used soldiers’ sacrifices to garner votes: Congress

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The Congress on Friday accused the Narendra Modi government of politicising the 2016 surgical strikes and alleged that the BJP was using “soldiers as a tool to garner votes”.

The party made the comment on the day “Parakram parv” is being observed by the Central government to mark the second anniversary of the surgical strikes carried out on the intervening night of September 28-30 across the Line of Control (LOC) on terror launch pads.

The Congress said the 2016 attack was not the first time that India had undertaken surgical strikes and listed a number of such attacks carried out in the past.

“We are proud that our forces have successfully conducted multiple ‘surgical strikes’ over last two decades, particularly post the year 2000 — January 21, 2000 (Nadala Enclave, across the Neelam River); September 18, 2003 (Baroh Sector, Poonch); June 19, 2008 (Bhattal Sector, Poonch); August 30-September 1, 2011 (Sharda Sector, across Neelam River Valley in Kel); January 6, 2013 (Sawan Patra checkpost); July 27-28, 2013 ( Nazapir Sector); August 6, 2013 (Neelam Valley); January 14, 2014 (Army Chief, General Bikram Singh’s statement qua surgical strike on December 23, 2013); September 28-29, 2016 (DGMO’s statement),” Congress leader Randeep Surjewala said.

Besides Surjewala, the press conference was also addressed by Major General (Retd.) Satbir Singh, President of the Ex-Servicemen Movement, Rohit Chaudhary and Sudesh Goyat, OROP activists.

Surjewala accused the Central government of “compromising national security”, saying that in 52 months of its rule, Jammu and Kashmir alone has lost “414 security personnel and 259 civilians in Pakistan-sponsored terrorism”.

The Congress leader challenged Modi to concede that he has “failed” in keeping the borders secure by allowing a “500 per cent increase in ceasefire violations by Pakistan, since May 2014”.

“Where is the ’56-inch chest’ missing as Pakistan commits more than 3,000 ceasefire violations at the LoC and international border?” he questioned.

He alleged that Modi “squandered national interests by arbitrarily reducing the number of (Rafale) fighter aircraft required by the Indian Air Force (IAF) from 126 to 36”, and buying the aircraft at 300 per cent higher price than its original cost at the time when the deal was struck by the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

Surjewala accused the government of meting out “step motherly treatment” to the armed forces by slashing the defence budget to 1.58 per cent of the GDP, which was the “lowest since 1962”, and also of neglecting a report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence, which exposed that “68 per cent” of the Army’s equipment was “vintage” and that there was no money to buy emergency weapons.

Singh slammed the government for politicisng the surgical strikes and said why is thare no celebration on December 16, every year?

“On December 16, 1971, we formed a new country. Why that day is not being celebrated?” he questioned, adding that the ex-army personnel had earlier written to the Prime Minister to celebrate December 16 in the way the country celebrates Republic Day and Independence Day.

“You all must remember how we captured 93,000 Pakistan prisoners. At that time we used to cross the border and captured them,” he said.

Rohit Chaudhary also questioned the government’s intention over the non-implementation of the one-rank-one-pension (OROP) scheme.

“If you want to be seen standing with the soldiers then why did you not implement the OROP? Today the soldiers are victimised and want to tell the government that it should immediately implement OROP without delay and without dilution,” Chaudhary said.

Major (Retd.) Ajmer Singh Goyat’s wife Sudesh Goyat said that the soldiers were protesting the Parakram Divas. “The reason is that Sandeep Singh, who was one of the members in the surgical strikes, died three days ago.

“If Prime Minister would have visited his home instead of visiting Rajasthan. PM Modi is only showing off instead of working for the welfare of the soldiers,” Gayot said.

IANS

Muslim groups urge government to withdraw triple talaq ordinance

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Various Muslim socio-religious and political organisations came together on a common platform here on Friday night to demand the central government to withdraw the ordinance on triple talaq as it is unconstitutional.

Muslim groups representing various sects urged the government to ensure that the religious and cultural rights and freedom guaranteed to Muslims by the Constitution are implemented in letter and spirit and not tampered in any manner.

A resolution passed at the public meeting organised by the United Muslim Forum (MUF), an umbrella group of different Muslim organisations, condemned the ordinance issued last week, criminalizing triple talaq. It said the piece of legislation was enacted through backdoor.

Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, Jamaat-e-Islami’s president of Telangana and Odisha unit Hamid Mohammed Khan, MUF president Raheemuddin Ansari and leaders of various organisations addressed the public meeting at MIM headquarters Darussalam.

“The present government seems to be conspiring to take away the religious identity of Muslims. When it failed to get the triple talaq Bill passed in the Parliament, the government has chosen to get an ordinance promulgated in an undemocratic manner,” the resolution said.A It hoped that better sense would prevail and the government would reconsider its decision.

Asauddin Owaisi, in his speech, demanded that Muslims should be allowed to practice their religion as the Constitution of India has given them this right. Referring to Supreme Court judgements on Articles 377 and 497, the MP said Muslims also want to live with freedom to practice their religion. “When homosexuals have been given choice and married men and women also given freedom to indulge in adultery without the fear of being punished by law, why are Muslims being denied freedom to practice their religion,a he asked.

Owaisi described the ordinance as anti-women and said this would lead to high rate of desertion of women by their husbands. He also voiced the apprehension that many Muslim youths would be jailed.

The MP said the Supreme Court in its judgment set aside triple talaq but did not term it unconstitutional. “When the Supreme Court made it clear that if a husband gives triple talaq, marriage will not dissolve then for what crime you are sending him to jail for three years under this ordinance,” he asked.

He reiterated that the ordinance is an attempt by the Modi government to divert people’s attention from Rafale scam, rising prices of petrol and diesel and failure to provide jobs.

Owaisi said if the government was really concerned about the welfare of women, it should make a legislation for 24 lakh women including 22 lakh non-Muslims who were married but abandoned by their husbands.

(IANS)

Sushma Swaraj Leaves SAARC Meeting Mid-way, Pakistan Says ‘You Are The Obstacle’

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In a huge snub to Pakistan, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj left a meeting of the SAARC foreign ministers early, which was attended by her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi amidst fresh chill in bilateral ties.

Swaraj attended the Informal Meeting of the SAARC Council of Ministers held here on the margins of the 73rd UN General Assembly and chaired by Foreign Minister of Nepal Pradeep Kumar Gyawali on Thursday.

After making her statement, she left the meeting early, prompting criticism from Qureshi who later told reporters, “no I didn’t have any talk with her (Swaraj). On the positive gesture, I can say she left the meeting mid-way, may be she was not feeling well”.

Indian diplomatic sources told PTI that it was quite normal in a multilateral meeting to leave early after one has delivered the country’s statement. The sources said that Swaraj was not the first minister to leave the meeting as her counterparts from Afghanistan and Bangladesh had also left before her.

They added that Swaraj had other engagements as well and Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale was present throughout the SAARC meeting. Swaraj and Qureshi were slated to meet on the sidelines of the General Assembly session.

However, India called off the meeting last week, citing the brutal killings of three policemen in Jammu and Kashmir and Islamabad releasing postage stamps “glorifying” slain Kashmiri militant Burhan Wani. Qureshi said he saw that there was this thinking in the meeting that “if we have to achieve something from this forum we have to move forward”.

“What is the way to move forward. We have to decide the next step – I have no hesitation in saying that in the way of SAARC’s progress and success and in the region’s connectivity and prosperity, there is only one obstacle and one attitude.

“The attitude of one nation is making the spirit of SAARC and the spirit of the founding fathers of SAARC unfulfilled and unsuccessful,” he said, in a veiled reference to India. He said that he heard the Indian Minister’s remarks at the meeting “very carefully”.

“She talked about regional cooperation. My question is how will regional cooperation be possible when the region’s nations are ready to sit together and you are the obstacle in that dialogue and discussion,” he said.

Qureshi said he judged from the SAARC meeting that most of the members present there understand the significance and value of the grouping. “They want to move on. I can’t speak for them but I can deduce from their body language disappointment because if you do not move and if you do not sit and convene meetings how do you move on. You are talking of SAFTA (South Asian Free Trade Area), you are talking of regional trade, how do you have regional trade when you are unwilling to sit and talk. When you fail to agree on a date for a summit where is regional trade going,” he said.

He cited other regional blocs like ASEAN and the EU and said “look at this (SAARC) atmosphere”. India had boycotted the 2016 SAARC summit citing Islamabad’s unrelenting support to terrorist activities in India and and after Pakistan-based terrorists attacked an Indian Army base in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir. Bhutan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan had also joined India in boycotting the summit.

Qureshi called the Foreign Secretary’s comments, made after Swaraj had left, as a “very vague statement”. “You say the next summit will not happen until there is conducive environment. How do you define what conducive environment is? It can vary from country to country. It can vary from person to person. On the basis of an imaginary thing, you are becoming an obstacle in the way of the entire region and its prosperity,” he said.

Qureshi added that 1.78 billion plus people of the SAARC grouping have to ask in whose hands their fate and future are being kept as a mortgage. On Qureshi’s remarks that India is an obstacle in SAARC’s prosperity and regional connectivity, the Indian diplomatic sources said the answer to this was in Swaraj’s statement.

In her statement, Swaraj voiced India’s commitment to regional cooperation, saying it attaches highest priority to the development and prosperity of the region, under the government’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy.

“Development of seamless physical connectivity is key for achieving regional growth, employment and prosperity,” she said. SAARC summits are usually held biennially. The member-state hosting the summit assumes the Chair of the association. The last SAARC Summit in 2014 was held in Kathmandu, which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

PTI

CCB Police raided 50 rowdies’ houses

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City Central Crime Branch (CCB) sleuths raided 50 rowdy sheeters houses and detained 23 as they had search warrants pending against them.

Additional Commissioner of Police Crime branch formed a team comprising 100 police personnel, who started the raid at 5 am untill 11.30 am.

The raids were conducted simultaneously at all the houses of rowdies with teams of police keeping a watch on their movements.

Those detained have been identified as Lokesh alias Mulam, Kommaghatta Manja, Lakshmana, Mahim, Jonty, Lakkasandra Viji, Robbery Giri, Thothla Manja, Michael D’Souza, JC Road Shankar, Kodigehalli Appu, Gaali Ravi, JCB Narayana, Dhoodh Ravi, Dadiya Mahesh, Bethenagere Shankar, Jagadish alias Marenahalli Jagga, Vediappan alias Vedi, Atush, Raja Kutty, Thirumaran alias Kutty, Tanveer and Pappu alias Amir Khan.

Sleuts seized land documents and demonetised currencies, 15 cheques, 14 mobile phones, 300 gm gold ornaments, two currency counting machines, seven daggers, two longs and three machetes from their houses.

6.1-magnitude quake strikes Indonesia

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An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale struck Indonesia’s Sulawesi island on Friday but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

The US Geological Survey put the hypocentre of the tremor at a depth of 18 km and the epicentre at a point 30.5 km north of the city of Donggala, reports Efe news.

At least 557 people died and almost 400,000 were displaced by four earthquakes with intensities varying between magnitude-6.3 and 6.9 which struck Lombok island between July 29 and August 19.

Indonesia’s deadliest ever tremor struck Sumatra island in 2014 and triggered a tsunami that killed nearly 280,000 people in around a dozen countries along the Indian Ocean, with the biggest number of casualties registered in Indonesia.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of great seismic and volcanic activities, where some 7,000 earthquakes, mostly moderate, are recorded each year.

Bhima Koregaon: Congress stands exposed for politicising national security, says Shah

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After the Supreme Court on Friday refused to interfere in the arrest of five activists in the Bhima Koregaon case in Maharashtra, BJP President Amit Shah attacked the Congress saying the order “exposed” those politicising an issue of national security and demanded an apology.

“Those who stooped down to the level of politicising an issue of national security have been exposed by the Supreme Court’s decision today. It is high time that the Congress now clears its stand on this critical issue of Urban Naxalism,” Shah said in a series of tweets.

He said that India was a vibrant democracy with a healthy culture of debate, discussion and dissent. “However, plotting against the country with the intent to harm our citizens is not one of these. Those who politicised this issue need to apologise,” he said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader’s remarks came soon after the Supreme Court in a majority judgement refused to interfere in the arrest of five activists in the Bhima Koregaon case in Maharashtra and declined to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT).

Shah also slammed Congress President Rahul Gandhi saying that there is only one place of idiocy and it is Congress.

“There is only one place for idiocy and it’s called the Congress. Support ‘Bharat Ke Tukde Tukde Gang’, Maoists, fake activists and corrupt elements. Defame all those who are honest and working. Welcome to Rahul Gandhi’s Congress,” Shah said replying to Gandhi’s tweet of August 28.

Gandhi had accused the the RSS of shutting down NGOs, jailing all activists and shooting those that complain, after the Pune Police arrested five people in connection with the Elgaar Parishad event in Pune last December.

“There is only place for one NGO in India and it’s called the RSS. Shut down all other NGOs. Jail all activists and shoot those that complain. Welcome to the new India,” Gandhi had tweeted.

Meanwhile, BJP Spokesperson Sambit Patra also slammed the Congress saying its stand on Naxalism and Maoism has been vindicated.

Attacking Gandhi, Patra said, “This verdict is also an indictment of Gandhi, who was acting as an advocate for these arrested Maoists.”

“Congress and Rahul Gandhi said that the motive behind these arrests was revenge but the Supreme Court has made it clear that this was not the case. Congress has a lot to answer. Right from politicising surgical strike to supporting urban Naxals to Navjot Singh Sidhu hugging Pakistan Army Chief,” Patra said.

He also said that the Congress has been hurt by this verdict of SC.

The BJP leader also said that the one who worked against the national security did not have the luxury of choosing as to what kind of prosecution he would face. “This verdict by the Supreme Court is a win for India.”

IANS

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