Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy will chair a cabinet meeting Thursday as the coalition government faces a deep political crisis. The meeting is crucial as important decisions on the future of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in the state is expected to be taken during the meeting.

At the same time, Karnataka minister and senior Congress leader DK Shivakumar was detained and forcibly sent back to Bengaluru by the Mumbai police, hours after he waited outside a hotel to meet the rebel MLAs.

Meanwhile, the political crisis also reached New Delhi after 10 Congress and JD(S) MLAs, who quit last week, moved the Supreme Court alleging that Karnataka Speaker Ramesh Kumar is deliberately not accepting their resignations. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi said it will hear the petition Thursday.

With this, the ruling BJP ‘s strength in the Assembly swells to 27, and the strength of the Congress which won 17 seats in 2017, stands reduced to five. Two Congress MLAs had joined the BJP earlier.

AS the Congress struggles to save the coalition government with JD(S) in Karnataka, it suffered a major setback in Goa with 10 of its 15 MLAs joining the BJP on Wednesday.

The Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, Congress’s Chandrakant Kavlekar, walked to the Speaker’s office late evening with nine other party MLAs — minutes after India lost to New Zealand — to tender their resignation from the party.

With this, the ruling BJP’s strength in the Assembly swells to 27, and the strength of the Congress which won 17 seats in 2017, stands reduced to five. Two Congress MLAs had joined the BJP earlier.

Sources in BJP said a Cabinet reshuffle may follow soon and indicated that most allies may be dropped. At present, five of the 12 ministerial berths are held by allies — which now “are open for new entrants,” said a BJP leader.

“They came with the resignations and I accepted,” confirmed Speaker Rajesh Patnekar and added the monsoon session of the Assembly will commence as per schedule on July 15. “Only their seating arrangement will change,” he said.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant who was present in the Assembly house to welcome the MLAs said, “They had come for development of the state and their constituency. They have joined the BJP unconditionally.”

The MLAs who joined are Chandrakant Kavlekar, Atanasio Monserrate, Jennifer Monserrate, Filipe Neri Rodrigues, Nilkanth Halarnkar, Francisco Silveira, Clafasio Dias, Isidore Fernandes, Wilfred D’Sa, Tony Fernandes.

The anti-defection law makes it mandatory that two-thirds of the strength of a party should agree for a ‘merger’. The amendment, which came into force in January 2004, does not recognise a ‘split’ in a legislature party and instead recognises a ‘merger’.

Atanasio Monserrate, the MLA who just two months ago had snatched the Panjim seat from BJP winning on a Congress ticket – Panjim by poll was considered to be the most prestigious seat with Manohar Parrikar having won it since 1994 – is said to be the “negotiator behind the water shed moment”. He, however, denied it.

“We just decided this yesterday. We are all colleagues and old friends. After two years I came to Assembly and I told them (Congress) these are the promises I made to the people which need to be fulfilled. I am not any negotiator. We are just friends. We had a good cup of tea. We got together and said this is the best way out as far as development is concerned. I am not looking out for any ministry and no demands were placed at all.

When asked if the timing of Karnataka and Goa was planned, he said “It’s a fantastic coincidence. Nothing is pre-planned.”

Deputy Speaker Michael Lobo said all portfolio decisions now rest with the Chief Minister and “nothing else will be discussed now”.

Admitting it was time for “Congress to go back to the grass root level”, President of Goa Pradesh Congress Committee Girish Chodankar said, “BJP has exposed its intense insecurity with its coalition partners and within its camp by inducting 10 Congress MLAs. Despite having clear numbers, BJP Chief minister Pramod Sawant indulging in such unethical practices has displayed his fear to face the united opposition in the upcoming Assembly session. The group of 10 Congress MLAs have changed sides, falling prey to the blackmailing and other luring tactics adopted by BJP. Is this the new India the BJP is advocating after the Lok Sabha election. This is also a lesson to its alliance partners who went against the mandate of people in 2017 and installed BJP in power. This was the day in waiting as they disrespected the common people.”

“Everyone wanted a Congress government to come to power. But we are frustrated by being in the opposition and development of the constituency was also suffering. We have been in the opposition for long and to continue with no development of the constituency was not acceptable. We have joined the BJP to ensure development in the constituency and, provide jobs for our youth,” Kavlekar told the press after he joined the BJP.

Of the five left in the Congress — Ravi Naik, Luizinho Faleiro, Pratapsingh Rane, Digambar Kamat and Alex Reginaldo — the first four have been the state chief minister. Internally, Congress MLAs also say the decision was taken with the poor leadership within the party and lack of unity.

When contacted, Reginaldo confirmed he was given an offer too to join the BJP. “This is the worst type of politics. Only time will tell, People are watching, “ he said.

The next development, according to BJP sources, will be dropping few ministers from the cabinet, with the Goa Forward Party losing all its ministerial berths including that of Deputy CM held by its leader Vijai Sardesai.

PRAMESH S JAIN 

Karnataka crisis: Two more Congress MLAs quit;Mumbai sees high drama as police detain DK Shivakumar,and Ruckus breaks out at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru.

Highlights :
* DK Shivakumar braved the heavy rains of Mumbai in an attempt to meet the rebel MLAs at the Powai hotel,despite the MLAs showing no interest in meeting him.Earlier in the day,his booking at the Powai hotel was also cancelled due to some emergency at the hotel.I’ll not go without meeting my friends.I can’t go by you (rebel Karnataka MLAs not ready to meet him), they’ll call me.Their heart will break.I’m in touch already,hearts of both of us are beating,a determined Shivakumar had said. 
* Mumbai Police later detained Shivakumar,Mumbai Congress leader Milind Deora and other party leaders from outside the hotel.The leaders were taken to the rest house at the University of Mumbai’s Kalina campus.They were later released,with Deora stating that Shivakumar was being forcibly sent back to Bengaluru.Congress MLC Bhai Jagtap and Shivakumar were escorted to the airport by Mumbai Police.
* Upon reaching Bengaluru,Shivakumar blamed the BJP and state officials of misusing their authority.He told reporters, Mumbai is known for its hospitality.I had booked a room there and was on an official visit to meet my friends and colleagues but the BJP and officials misused their authority, it’s a matter of shame.
* 10 rebel Congress and JD(S) MLAs moved the Supreme Court on Wednesday, claiming that Speaker Ramesh Kumar was deliberately not accepting their resignations,in a move that favoured the HD Kumaraswamy’s government,which is now in minority. 
* Karnataka unit of BJP staged protests outside the Vidhan Soudha in Bengaluru, demanding the resignation of Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, stating that his government had lost majority in the House. 
* Azad and other high profile leaders including former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and ex-Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda had joined protestors in central Bengaluru at Minsk square a throw away distance from the Vidhana Soudha where the BJP was holding protests.
* The coalition government protested against BJP for their alleged Horse trading and Poaching of MLAs.
* After concluding their protest they tried to lay seige Raj Bhavan but the police stopped them in between near BSNL office. 
* As protests and sloganeering from Congress members continued in the Well of the House, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said if Rajya Sabha was not allowed to function it will be “inevitable” to extend Parliament session beyond July 26 so that all business can be completed.
* Former Karnataka CM and Congress leader Siddaramaiah blamed the BJP for promoting hooliganism in the state and accused BJP of indulging in horse-trading. He also accused PM Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for being responsible for the political instability in the state of Karnataka. 
* Amid the ongoing political tussle, the police imposed Section 144 (which prohibits the assembly of more than 4 people in an area) at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru from July 11-14 .
* Former Karnataka CM and Congress leader Siddaramaiah blamed the BJP for promoting hooliganism in the state and accused BJP of indulging in horse-trading. He also accused PM Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for being responsible for the political instability in the state of Karnataka. 

High Jolt to Coalition government two More Congress MLAs quit : 

In a fresh jolt to the wobbly Congress-JDS coalition government in Karnataka,Two more Congress legislators,M.T.B. Nagaraj and D.Sudhakar on Wednesday submitted their resignations to state Assembly Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar,taking the number of disgruntled MLAs who have put in their papers to 16.
The two legislators submitted their resignations to the Speaker at his office in the state secretariat.
Karnataka Congress legislators,Housing minister MTB Nagaraj and K Sudhakar, tendered their resignations Wednesday to the Speaker, taking the number of disgruntled MLAs who have quit to 16.
The development comes even as D K Shivakumar, Karnataka’s Water Resources Minister, the Congress’ troubleshooter, was detained and sent packing back to Bengaluru from Mumbai, where he was prevented by police from meeting the rebel MLAs.
The ruling Congress-JDS coalition faces the threat of losing majority in the Assembly if the resignations are accepted as its current tally is 116 in the 224-member House.
Nagaraj and Sudhakar submitted their resignations to Speaker Ramesh Kumar at his chamber in Vidhana Soudha, the State secretariat.
Confirming the resignations,Ramesh Kumar told reporters,Yes, Sudhakar and M T B Nagaraj have resigned.
Soon after submitting his resignation Nagaraj went and met Governor Vajubhai Vala,informing him about his decision.
On the other hand, high drama prevailed when Sudhakar came out of the Speaker’s office after tendering his resignation.
Angry Congress leaders,including social welfare minister,Priyank Kharge and KPCC President,Dinesh Gundu Rao surrounded him,demanding that he withdraw his resignation, but he did not relent.
BJP workers staged a demonstration outside the secretariat,demanding that Sudhakar be allowed to leave and entered into an altercation with congress leaders.
Later,Sudhakar was escorted to the Raj Bhavan with full police protection by Commissioner of Police.
According to sources,Sudhakar was escorted to Raj Bhavan by police after Governor Vajubhai Vala directed police commissioner Alok Kumar to present the MLA before him at the earliest.
After putting in his papers,Nagaraj told reporters that he was fed up with politics and wished to retire from public life.I don’t want any ministerial position or anything. I am fed up with politics,” Nagaraj said.
The two join the list of 14 Congress and JD Secular MLAs who have submitted their letters to resign from the assembly over the last week.
Nagaraj represents Hoskote in the assembly while Sudhakar Chikballapur.
Former chief minister Siddaramaiah too came to the Vidhana Soudha to persuade Sudhakar to withdraw his resignation and had a discussion with him inside the chamber of the minister for large and medium industries K J George.
Just then, BJP MLAs Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri,S R Vishwanath, M.P Renukacharya and V Somanna too reached there and staged a demonstration against the alleged hooliganism of Congress workers.
They demanded that Sudhakar be immediately freed from the clutches of Congress leaders.
Tension prevailed as the BJP and Congress leaders resorted to sloganeering against each other.
Senior police officers,including Bengaluru police commissioner Alok Kumar, along with police personnel,rushed to the Vidhana Soudha to bring the situation under control.As if we recall this is the second time Commissioner of police rushed to Vidhana Soudha to give protection to MLAs as about last eight years ago in the year 2010 the then Shankar Bidari commissioner of police was rushed to vidhana soudha where the former chief minister Siddaramaiah with other seen getting into scuffle with cops they even removed his cap in the scuffle and this has repeated again today where in commissioner was asked to rush to Vidhana Soudha and present the MLA with full protection as the earliest.The same was followed and Dr.Sudhakar MLA was taken from vidhana soudha in full protection. 
After meeting the Governor, Sudhakar described the incident at the secretariat as a small friction but condemned the manner in which he was taken for talks,adding his wife and his other family members wereshaken by it.Without naming anyone,he slammed the behaviour of a person who has been a minister and an MLC.The way he behaved should not have happened in democracy and civilised society.People of the country have seen it,I don’t want to talk about it more.There was a way to convince me if they wanted.I’m not a kinder garden student.The action is highly condemnable, he added.
BJP MLA Basavaraj Bommai has alleged that Congress MLA Sudhakar was assaulted by Congress.He said,It’s a black day in the history of Karnataka’s democracy. A ruling party’s MLA (Sudhakar) has been assaulted by his own president, minister and colleagues. They tried to put pressure on him. He as MLA couldn’t work independently, therefore, there is gundaraj in the state.
Police chased away a few media personnel standing outside the secretariat.Some cameramen and media persons were beaten up and their equipment was broken.
When the demonstration was taking place, an altercation broke out inside the secretariat between Honnalli BJP MLA M P Renukacharya and urban development minister U T Khader when the latter reached there to hold talks with Sudhakar.
Alleging that the Congress leaders were not allowing Sudhakar to leave,BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa told reporters,”We all have seen how Sudhakar was pushed and shoved.Nagaraj has met the governor while Sudhakar was not allowed to go out. He has been confined in a room. This is Goondaism he added.
Yeddyurappa also petitioned Vala that the speaker was not expediting the process of accepting the resignation of 16 MLAs who resigned since July 6.
Seeking Valas intervention, Yeddyurappa stated in his letter, Instead of accepting the resignations, I would regret to say, the speaker is allowing the ruling party to continue in power and threatening the resigned MLAs.
Even the ministers of the ruling government are visiting their premises and threatening them for their act (resigning).
Hitting out at the BJP, Siddaramaiah said, Sudhakar is our MLA.
Our leaders were talking to him. What relation BJP has with Sudhakar? He is not a BJP MLA or worker.. As long as his resignation is not accepted, he continues to be the member of the Congress party.As a CLP leader I was talking to him. What made the BJP create a ruckus like that… to do rowdyism? BJP MLAs and workers are rowdies. They have taken law into their hands. I condemn it he said.
As the political crisis in the southern state continued to be played out in Mumbai Wednesday, Congress leader Milind Deora, who was also detained along with Shivakumar, claimed Mumbai police were forcibly deporting” the minister to Bengaluru.
Shivakumar, who came to Mumbai to meet rebel Congress MLAs from Karnataka, was detained along with Deora and former Maharashtra minister Naseem Khan. They were taken to a guest house in Kalina and released after a while.
Congress MLC Bhai Jagtap said Shivakumar was taken to Mumbai airport by Mumbai police.
Protests took centre stage in Bengaluru on Wednesday even as the political crisis in the state spilled over to Mumbai’s Renaissance Hotel and even the Supreme Court in the national capital.
Security was heightened heavy police personnel were deployed in and around Raj Bhavan and Vidhana Soudha Commissioner of Police Alok Kumar was Monitored and Addl CPs as,Umesh Kumar,Murugan,Harishekaran was supervising the area with DCPs as,Dr.Chandra Gupta,Rahul Kumar Sharpode,Shashi kumar,Ramesh Banoth,Jagadeesh with ACPs,PI,and staff of all Zones,with Cobra team were present
As a result of the protests, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad along with other Congress leaders were detained by police for protesting outside the Raj Bhavan where BS Yeddyurappa was just about to arrive along with other state BJP leaders.
Azad and other high profile leaders including former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and ex-Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda had joined protestors in central Bengaluru at a stone’s throw away distance from the Vidhana Soudha where the BJP was holding protests.
Speaking at the protest, Deve Gowda exuded confidence about his party holding onto power.In my 60 years in politics,I am pained to say I have never seen such a pathetic state.Yesterday,the Speaker reviewed the resignations,and given three of them the opportunity to appear before him and explain the situation tomorrow.He will also do the same with others.In such a situation,it is wrong to put pressure on the Governor,he told supporters of the Congress and the JD(S) gathered.Gowda was very emphatic in his response when asked if he believes that the BJP offered money to the rebel legislator.They have given,given,given,given given!he exclaimed,adding that making HD Kumaraswamy quit has been Yeddyurappa’s suprabhata as good morning wish since the day the coalition government came into being.The Congress and JDS have often accused the BJP of trying to poach their legislators from time to time as part of a political strategy codenamed as Operation Kamala (Operation Lotus).The BJP, however, insists that the legislators have quit their respective parties on their own accord.said it was high time all opposition parties united against the BJP because the country was under serious threat from the BJP.I feel that the present situation is worse than the Emergency.DK Shivakumar went to the hotel but was denied entry despite having booked a room there.I have not seen anything like this in my 60 years of political life,him as saying before a march taken out by Congress-JDS workers towards Raj Bhavan.All political parties should set aside their differences and come together to save democracy he added.
BJP leaders are rowdies; Modi, Shah behind Karnataka crisis: Siddaramaiah
Meanwhile,Karnataka Congress leader Siddaramaiah declared that party members would stage protests across the state to protest the purchase of legislators.I tell you that our workers will not let you travel in the state. We will create a situation that will prevent you from meeting the people.Siddaramaiah also condemned the rebel legislators for putting the ruling coalition in such a precarious situation.They have gone for money and power.They have sold themselves.I am appealing to all those who have camped in Mumbai,succumbing to the allurement trap laid by BJP, to come back and withdraw your resignation letters.Respect the people’s verdict,or they will teach you a lesson he even alleged on Wednesday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister and BJP president Amit Shah were behind the political crisis in the state.Siddaramaiah’s comment came hours after two more Congress MLAs resigned from the state assembly taking the number of disgruntled legislators who have put in their papers to 16.On Wednesday, Chikballapur MLA K. Sudhakar and Hoskote MLA and Housing Minister M.T.B. Nagaraj handed over their resignation letters to Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar.What made BJP people do rowdyism like that? BJP MLAs and workers are rowdies.I condemn it.It is quiet evident that BJP leaders, Amit Shah and Narendra Modi,are behind all this.They are defecting and threatening our MLAs.The former chief minister said as a leader of the Congress Legislature Party, he was trying to convince Sudhakar and claimed that the latter continued to be a member of the Congress party as long as his resignation was not accepted.Sudhakar is not a BJP MLA or BJP worker, just because he has resigned, it doesn’t mean he is a BJP MLA,” Siddaramaiah added.
Karnataka, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad has alleged that the Centre is using Governors to topple opposition governments in states, and raised fingers on the conduct of the present BJP government at the Centre as well as Governors.State after state, opposition Government are being toppled and Government of India is using Governors for this. From Arunachal Pradesh to Karnataka, Governor’s side with defectors and help them in coming out of Congress. We appeal to the nation to rise to the occasion to save this democracy.The entire country is anguished at the way the present BJP government at the national level and Governor at the state level are conducting themselves. The way democracy is being finished in this country,” he said.
Ghulam Nabi Azad and Karnataka Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge have blamed the BJP for the current situation in Karnataka. Azad questioned the conduct of the Governor and Kharge made a fresh appeal to rebel MLAs to not budge to pressures. According to sources, more resignations can be expected on Thursday, with rebel congress leader Ramalinga Reddy’s daughter,Soumya Reddy,also expected to step down.She is the MLA from Bengaluru’s Jayanagar constituency. Khanapur MLA Anjali Nimbalkar and Chikkodi lawmaker Ganesh Hukkeri are also expected to resign.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Congress’s troubleshooter DK Shivakumar, who risked everything for his party and flew out to Mumbai on Wednesday, failed to meet the rebels and woo them back to the party fold.
The Mumbai Police prevented Shivakumar and other leaders from entering a five-star hotel in the city where the rebel MLAs were accommodated. Shivakumar and the others were detained after the dissident lawmakers wrote to the police seeking protection from him and other Karnataka coalition leaders.
Shivakumar was forced to wait outside the hotel for more than six hours and was detained, along with Milind Deora, who recently quit as Mumbai Congress president.
After he was released by the police, Shivakumar said that he had gone to the hotel only to meet “friends”.
“I am forcibly pushed to leave Mumbai by the police and I have no option left. But I still believe my friends will come back and the government will be safe. It’s not about politics, it’s about the democratic values and constitution. Democracy is at the risk and it’s a fresh example for that,” he said.
Later, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) filed a complaint stating that rebel MLAs of the party from Karnataka were illegally confined in the hotel.
“Mumbai Police have received a complaint from the AICC Wednesday of illegal confinement of rebel Karnataka Congress MLAs at a Powai hotel,” the officer said.
Kumaraswamy alleged that manhandling ministers and MLAs” by the police “reinforces the suspicion of the BJP being involved in horse-trading”.
Of the 16 MLAs who have resigned, 13 are from Congress and three from JD(S). The coalition’s total strength is 116 (Congress-78, JD(S)-37 and BSP-1), besides the Speaker.
With the support of the two independents, who Monday resigned from the ministry, the BJP has 107 MLAs in the 224-member House, where the half-way mark is 113.
If the resignations of the 16 MLAs are accepted, the coalition’s tally will be reduced to 100.
Meanwhile,a meeting of Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, K.C. Venugopal, Mallikarjun Kharge, G. Parameshwara, Siddaramaiah, Dinesh Gundu Rao, Eshwara Khandre and others is underway following the resignation of two more MLAs on Wednesday.
The ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition faces the threat of losing its majority if the resignations of the rebel MLAs are accepted. 

In a breather to the Congress-JDS alliance, Karnataka Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar Tuesday rejected the resignations of nine of 14 coalition MLAs on the ground that they were not tendered in the correct format.

Ten rebel Karnataka MLAs of Congress and JD(S) Wednesday moved the Supreme Court, alleging delay on the part of the Assembly Speaker in accepting their resignations. The matter was mentioned before Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, who said the court will consider listing the case tomorrow. The petition alleged that the Speaker had acted in a partisan manner and was deliberately not accepting their resignations.

Karnataka Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar Tuesday rejected the resignations of nine of 14 coalition MLAs on the ground that they were not tendered in the correct format.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi who appeared for the rebel MLAs pressed for an urgent hearing saying “time is the essence” in the matter. “We will see,” the bench, which also comprised justices Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose said.

The Speaker has fixed dates over the next six days to meet and interview the five MLAs whose resignations were found to be in order. The Speaker’s decision gives the Congress-JD(S) combine some breathing room to try and pull the government back from the brink of collapse.

Karnataka MLA Resign, Karnataka Political Crisis The rebel JD(S)-Congress MLAs has approached Mumbai Police, saying they felt “threatened” by their state leaders and do not want to meet them in this regard.

High drama was witnessed outside Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel after Congress leader D K Shivakumar was prevented from meeting the 10 dissident JD(S)-Congress legislators who have been staying at the premises since Saturday. The rebels had earlier approached Mumbai Police, saying they felt “threatened” by their state leaders and do not want to meet them in this regard.

The Supreme Court, on the other hand, is likely to take up a plea by the rebels against Karnataka Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar for not accepting the resignations of the rebel MLAs. Kumar had rejected the resignations of nine of 14 coalition MLAs on the ground that they were not tendered in the correct format. The Speaker has fixed dates over the next six days to meet and interview the five MLAs whose resignations were found to be in order.

The Speaker’s decision gives the Congress-JD(S) combine breathing room to pull the government back from the brink of collapse — if the resignations were accepted, the alliance would have been reduced to a minority of 103 in the 224-member House, after two Independent MLAs, too, withdrew support and tendered resignations Monday.

Since, early morning by when the election trends started pouring in on every TV
channel and social media platform. A pall of gloom seems to have descended on
every Muslim locality in the country. But the moot question to answer is, are we
ourselves responsible for this? The answer to this is, both yes and no.
Before the elections a lot of debate was focussed on the tactical voting by
Muslims. But the trends seem to belie this. As the trends indicate, in Delhi and
Bihar to some extent is some seats of UP, where they were supposed to vote
tactically, at the last moment they shifted their allegiance to the Congress and as
a result, BJP is leading in all these seats.
The trends have also established the fact that India is going to be a, minority
hating, democracy hating, anti-secular Hindu Rashtra, where one religion and
one perverse ideology is going to dominate the entire nation.
The election results have also brought home two stark realities.
One, the Muslims of India have to get their act together and fight for their
religious and minority identity in a country which is going to be dominated by
one religious and political thought only.
Second, it has shown that what the common Indian wants. In this we’ll have to
include both educated and non-educated, secular and non-secular Hindus. What
the results show is that every Hindu wants their religion to dominate and be the
foremost in every walk of life.
The trends have /results will establish the fact that common Indian voters,
contrary to what every sane person would like to believe, hate Muslims and
Pakistan and their stupidity was exploited by the right-wingers. Added to this is
the fact that most political parties in the country have become family firms.
Individuals like Atishi who talked about education and achievements in Delhi,
are losing to an absolute nobody, whereas people who are terror accused are
going to make laws for the country soon. Coupled with this is the spurt in the
market sentiment, which has gone up by 4000 points. All this points to the
common thread, the hatred for Muslims and Pakistan, a large dose of which was
used by the current dispensation during its election campaign and it actually
translated into real votes for them.
In reality, the un-educated, lumpen elements have been supporters of the
vitriolic, fascistic Hindutva thought since 1992. These elements got emboldened
when nothing happened to the destroyers of Babri masjid and the secular fabric
of India. All the perpetrators of the mosque attack were freed by the courts,
though they were left behind by the current dispensation along the road is
another story.

Coming back to the first point, the Indian Muslims need to think logically and
impassionedly about the choices available to them, and also introspect what had
led to the current situation.
Muslims need to understand that in spite of being the largest minority and close
to 17 million in numbers, they are the largest ignored group in the country,
whatever the political dispensation has been in the last 71 years.
After 1947, it took approximately 20 years for the Indian Muslims to get their act
together and regain their breath from the aftershocks of the partition.
Unfortunately during that time, they also lost tall leaders like Maulana Abul
Kalaam Azad, Rafi Ahmed Kidwai and others, and it indeed made them
rudderless. The leaders who took the place of the leaders like Azad and Kidwai,
were pygmies and second class leaders with very little mass base and in order to
survive, most of them became cronies of the so called largest nationalist party
and its pseudo-secular policies.
By mid 60s the Muslims were able to get their act together somehow, and in this
they were helped by the job boom in the Middle East. The growth in business,
finances and education was quite considerable. But one area that they neglected
was education, which was the ultimate route to business growth and increasing
their share in the administrative process of the country. In addition, the space,
which was vacated by the absence of any tall political leader, was taken over by
the religious leaders of the community and the other political also helped to prop
them up, as it fulfilled their policy of pseudo-secularism and paying lip services
to the demands and aspirations of the community.
Now to come out of this abyss, the process of introspection should start in
earnest by the Muslims themselves. They should realise that divisions amongst
themselves is not going to give any benefit to anyone, the ultimate losers will be
all. The community has to realise that intra-religious divides should be ignored,
its financial and educational resources should be utilised to the maximum by
being inclusive and it should try to increase its share in the administrative setup
and process of the country. It will have to choose its own leaders with a clear
vision for them and the country and not get bogged down by any divisive forces
and harmful elements both within and outside.

The election results for the BJP weren’t just a wave, but more like a tsunami or a
devastating earthquake that demolished all that stood in its way. The mandate
people gave Narendra Modi has dramatically altered the political map of India. It
will keep analysts busy for months. Some will keep warning their compatriots
about the rise of intolerant fascism, and the Gandhis and others will shout
themselves hoarse about the looming threat of a Hindu Rashtra destroying the
Nehruvian ‘Idea of India’. Most of the space in print and electronic media has
been hogged by the decimation of the Congress and yet another humiliating
performance by RaGa. It has distracted our attention from other perhaps even
more significant tectonic shifts that have taken place.

It’s highly unlikely that Congress will ever rise like the Phoenix in near or distant
future, but the results have definitely sounded the death knell for the Communist
parties. Both CPI and CPI(M) managed to scrounge just five seats in the Lok
Sabha and four of these were practically gifted by the DMK in Tamil Nadu. The
CPI(M) drew a blank even in West Bengal and Tripura, once considered its
impenetrable citadels. The much-hyped election of Kanhaiya Kumar in Begusarai
ended with a whimper with the articulate youngster losing by hundreds of
thousands of votes.
Does anyone remember that in the first Lok Sabha the Communists were the
largest party in Opposition? They have themselves to blame. The ideologues in
CPI(M) and CPI lived in denial, committing one Himalayan blunder after another
and jumped into the dustbin of history with their feet firmly in their mouth. No
mean feat. RIP.
One may call Modi a megalomaniac, trigger-happy warmonger, a dangerous
demagogue fanning communal passions, but it can’t be denied that he proved
himself more credible to the voters. No purpose is served by tying oneself in
knots about the fatal flaws in our first past the post electoral system or the unfair
domination of media by the party in power. Modi mesmerised the voters even in
states ruled by the Congress. Nor did the grand alliance forged against NDA in UP
work. As a matter of fact, the myth of social engineering, arithmetic of caste-
based coalitions has finally been punctured. Those holding/wielding the
‘Kamandal’ are having the last laugh. The forces of identity politics unleashed by
the Mandal Commission are now exhausted.
On international arena, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is now in the same league
as Presidents Donald Trump, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Chancellor Angela
Merkel and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan. These leaders will, to a large
extent, manage or mismanage the international order, international
organisations, the world’s trembling economy, immigration problems and the
rise of nationalism and the near abandoning of leftism minus China and Russia.

Prime Minister Modi and his team must have worked out the priorities of Modi
II. He made certain unexpected and welcome pronouncements in his nearly two-
hour-long speech at the Central Hall of Parliament. His government would look
for the cooperation of the Opposition in the implementation of his national
development policies. Secondly, encouraging words for the concerns and doubts
of the minorities. The main minority are the Muslims, numbering over fifteen
crore. They need genuine assurances. Hindutva should not mean anti-Islamism.
For the moment it seems so. Throughout the campaign and in his post campaign
speeches not a word was said about population control. Improving the living
standards of the poor—the gharib—and not subscribing to birth control
contradict each other rather spectacularly.
The Muslims on their part, seemed shell shocked by the election results and in
the initial days there was not a single reaction from any of the so-called Muslims
leaders. The Muslims masses seem rudderless and clueless, facing an onslaught
of victorious expressions on the social media.
However, just less than a fortnight after the election results and a new
government taking oath, a group of Muslim community leaders, mostly
comprising of educationists and philanthropists wrote a letter to the prime
minister, wishing him well and assuring him of the community’s support for his
various initiatives.
But just writing a letter and expressing their willingness to cooperate with the
new government is not going to change the ground situation. The Muslims all
over the country are wary of their leaders, except a few exceptions like Asad
Uddin Owaisi. The Muslims want their own leaders to med their way first. The
manner in which the previous Modi government gave a tight slap to the religious
and community leaders on the issue of Talaq, is a case for this. The Muslims want
their leaders to accept the challenges before the community, but instead of just
promising the government to cooperate with it, they want the leaders to take the
community along with them and deliver on different issues facing the
community in a fair and transparent manner, instead of just politicising them for
their political gains. First, we should have a consensus on different contentious
religious issues facing the community and then secondly try to copy what and
how other community leaders have done for the betterment of their
communities.
In the current political situation we do not just need people who want to be seen
in the political corridors, but who really have concern for the community and
have delivered something for it in the past.

Asad Mirza

as key issues during the election campaign with both BJP President Amit Shah
and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at loggerheads over it.
The BJP is pitching the NRC as a strong step against infiltrators and illegal
immigrants. Shah, during his rally at Kalimpong, in the hill district of Darjeeling,
spoke in favour of the issue, claiming that it does not affect Gorkhas and some
ethnic tribes of the region. Through the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, the BJP
will look to grant citizenship to religious minorities who have been persecuted in
the neighbouring countries.
On the other hand, Banerjee has raised objections to both the policies, claiming
that several people will lose citizenship and voting rights.
What has happened in Assam, with the implementation of NRC is there for every
one to see. Scores of people have been labelled ‘foreigners’ and detained in
detention camps, despite having documents to prove their identity, domicile and
legal status.
NRC across India
Shah promised the implementation of the NRC across the country if voted to
power again. “We have promised in our manifesto that once Narendra Modi
forms the government again, we will implement the NRC across the country. We
will remove every single infiltrator from the country,” he said.
Following Shah’s statement, in a Tweet on 11 April, the official Twitter handle
for the BJP had posted, “ We will ensure implementation of NRC in the entire
country. We will remove every single infiltrator from the country, except
Buddha, Hindus and Sikhs”
As a result of this there was a storm on Twitter, Congress party said, “The BJP
has made it clear that they have no respect for our Constitution & no remorse in
dividing our nation on communal lines.”
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on his
Twitter account said,”They want to reduce the idea of Indianness to descent &
religion, erasing all other faiths, cultures & identities.”
Other people commented, “This is plain Saffron Terror. No pretences.
Shamelessness. The ‘Other’ and the ‘infiltrator’, according to BJP, is the Muslim.
This communal politics based on hatred, bigotry & Hindu extremism is what BJP
is all about. Official Twitter handle of BJP bats for bigotry and exclusion.”

The Kerala Christian Forum on 11 April demanded an apology from Amit Shah
saying, “It was a direct attack on the identity and integrity of the nation as a
secular state”. It further said “ we hope that Amit Shah and BJP tender an apology

to the nation and especially to the minority communities of the country, which
has felt persecuted by the statement.”
First prepared in 1951, National Register of Citizens (NRC) is a register that lists
all “genuine Indian citizens” residing in Assam. NRC has often come under fire
for being “unfair” to citizens who are left out from it.

A month after Shah’s statement, an intervention application was filed in the
Supreme Court seeking action against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president
Amit Shah for his statements on Assam’s National Register of Citizens and the
Citizenship Act (Amendment) Bill, 2016.
The petition, filed by the Assam Andolan Sangrami Manch which is against the
citizenship amendment bill, said Shah had stated that the citizenship bill would
come first and then the NRC. Such an assertion had shocked the people of Assam
and left them scared, the NGO said. It claimed the amendment to the 1955 act
allows legally migrated Hindus, Sikh, Christians and Jains from Pakistan,
Afghanistan and Bangladesh to be citizens of Assam, which would affect the
interests of the indigenous people.
The petition said Shah’s statement had given “a colour of religion” in the process
of updating the NRC. It has given a wrong message to the people of Assam and “is
an onslaught on the judicial process of the Supreme Court.”
While the Home ministry, in its new amended order, spelled a clear road map for
those not included in the National Register of Citizens (NRC), it also gave
unspecified and unprecedented powers to the Foreigners Tribunals (FTs) – the
quasi-judicial authority that assesses the question of authenticity of a person’s
citizenship.
As per the latest announcement made on 10 June, the new Foreigners
(Tribunals) Amendment Order 2019, dated May 30, allows all states to constitute
their own FTs, earlier unique to Assam, to address the question of citizenship of
a person. The amendment empowers district magistrates in all states and union
territories to set up FTs to detect foreigners.
However, the community which seems to the biggest target of the NRC are the
Muslims. And it flummoxes one, that apart from Mr Owaisi, no other Muslim
leader has awaken to the threat of this action and what actions the community
should take to counter it.
The NRC gives a list of several identity documents through which one prove his
domicile and identity, such as: Aadhar Card, National Voter Card, Passport,
Driving Licence, Birth Certificate and Educational Certificate.
But the manner in which the whole plan would be implemented is that, the
younger minority citizens may escape the scrutiny, as most of them possess

virtually all documents required. But the biggest issue is that of our parents and
elders.
Once the NRC gets implemented, in case of senior citizens, their every document
will be rejected and the officials will insist on producing a Birth Certificate.
Now you tell me how many of our elders will have this birth certificate in their
possession. As during their time, most of the deliveries used to take place at
home and the first point where their date of birth used to be officially registered,
used to be the school, and so far, the school leaving certificate also used to serve
as the birth certificate.
Now as many of them may not possess a government issued Birth Certificate
they may be dubbed as ‘foreigners’ and ‘infiltrators’, and asked to leave the
country. This poses one dilemma for Mr Shah also, where would he send all those
whom he may identify as ‘foreigners’, to which country?
The community leaders should put their heads together to decide their strategy
to counter this evil plan, once it is implemented in a year or two. Otherwise, as
always we’ll continue to sleep till the danger is knocking at our doors and then
will respond in a knee-jerk and completely undignified manner to the problem.
Let’s try to bring this issue at the top of Muslim leader’s and community’s agenda
and try to find a way out before it is too

After the mass resignations — 21 Congress and nine JD(S) ministers — the H D Kumaraswamy government in the state is barely hanging by a thread.

As the coalition government in Karnataka teeters on the brink of collapse, the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting began Tuesday morning to discuss the next step of action. After the mass resignations — 21 Congress and nine JD(S) ministers — the H D Kumaraswamy government in the state is barely hanging by a thread.

Congress leaders, however, expressed confidence of rescuing the coalition with the move to reshuffle the Cabinet even as they accused the BJP of luring MLAs away with the offer of ministerial posts and money.

The fate of 15 rebels (10 Congress, 3 JD(S) and 2 Independents) who tendered their resignations over the past three days will also be decided today as the MLAs meet Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar. The MLAs who were earlier staying in a Mumbai resort were flown to Goa last evening, as per BJP sources. A BJP functionary said the resignation of 4-5 more legislators were also in the pipeline, including that of suspended Congress MLA Roshan Baig.