Archives for February 2019

“Narendra Modi, who keeps repeating his rhetoric shunning corruption and hailing his clean administration, takes pride in terming himself as the ‘Chowkidar’ of the country. Where was this Chowkidar when irregularities happened in the Rafale deal? This Chowkidar has personally lent support to a number of corruptions and also directly participated in them. He worships falsehood,” said former Karnataka chief minister, Siddaramaiah, launching a virulent attack on the Prime Minister.

Siddaramaiah was speaking after flagging off the ‘Parivartana Rally’ arranged in the city by Congress on Wednesday February 27. “Yeddyurappa, who was jailed in the past, and his gang have been trying to buy legislators of the coalition government. They had tried to buy 20 legislators by paying Rs 600 crore. If BJP leaders had provided transparent rule as is being claimed, where from they got such huge money? I want a clarification from the Chowkidar,” he said.

Siddaramaiah also wondered why people of this city repeatedly elect BJP union minister, Ramesh Jigajinagi. “He got political power because of this district. What benefit has his home district got out of his elevation? What is his contribution to this district? Even though he is a central minister, he could not find a lasting solution to the serious problem of drinking water shortage faced by the district,” he pointed out.

Siddaramaiah was found to be holding a lemon in his hand when he arrived by helicopter and touched down at the helipad located in the Sainik School compound here. He continued to hold the lemon in his hand when visiting the spot where the meeting was held. This surprised a number of Congress workers.

Agencies

Nasheman News : India’s former External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna here on Thursday hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the “surgical” air strike on terror camps in Pakistan by the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Tuesday.

“I compliment you (Modi) for the bold and decisive step to smash the terror camp of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) at Balakot in Pakistan through surgical air strike. It was long overdue,” said the 85-year-old in a letter, he shared with media. 

He said “by smashing the terror camps, we have avenged the cowardly attack” on February 14 that killed 40 CRPF troopers in Kashmir’s Pulwama district. 

Krishna said the pre-emptive strike made millions of Indians walk the talk with pride.

“By targeting only the terror hideouts, training camps and not touching the civilian, military or commercial establishments, India under your visionary leadership demonstrated that we are a mature nation, capable of taking decisions based on merits,” the letter to Modi read.

Nasheman News :  If Pakistan frees the captured IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman and orders a ceasefire, then Prime Minister Narendra Modi should grab his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan’s offer for talks, MNS President Raj Thackeray said on Thursday.

“If Pakistan is really sincere in their offer of constructive talks, then the first step in this direction must come from them. They have to release our pilot Abhinandan immediately and call for ceasefire,” the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief said.

“If this can be achieved, then we can believe that Imran Khan’s intentions are noble. If all this takes place, then Modi should not let this opportunity pass by,” he said.

Thackeray’s statement came against the backdrop of Khan’s offer for talks to resolve the tensions between the two neighbours in the aftermath of the February 14 suicide bombing in Kashmir and the subsequent developments.

Thackeray said that Khan had not only made an offer right after the Pulwama attack but after the Indian Air Force’s strikes (in Balakot), he had even gone ahead and offered to discuss all aspects pertaining to the Pulwama strike which killed 40 CRPF troopers.

A similar opportunity to resolved issues through talks had cropped up during the tenure of the late Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the then Pakistan President Parvez Musharraf, he pointed out.

“Atalji started the ‘Sada-e-Sarhad’, a bus service up to Lahore, and the ‘Samjhauta Express’ was initiated too. A historic (summit) talk took place in Agra. Unfortunately, it ended with no permanent outcome,” Thackeray recalled.

Stating that the opportunity lost by both nations during the time of Vajpayee had appeared again, Thackeray asked: “If North Korea and South Korea, who were so hostile to each other, can come forward to defuse the conflict between them, then why can’t we?”

Reiterating that a war cannot solve any issue, he said a conflict was damaging and pushes the country behind at all levels; even the Kashmiri population would be crushed and that cannot be allowed.

“Terrorists and terrorism must be ruthlessly eradicateda but for that, to wage a war or (create) a war-like situation for one’s political interest is not right. Both nations should resovle the issues through constructive talks and foster a peaceful environment,” Thackeray appealed to Modi.

Nasheman News : If Pakistan frees the captured IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman and orders a ceasefire, then Prime Minister Narendra Modi should grab his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan’s offer for talks, MNS President Raj Thackeray said on Thursday.

“If Pakistan is really sincere in their offer of constructive talks, then the first step in this direction must come from them. They have to release our pilot Abhinandan immediately and call for ceasefire,” the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief said.

“If this can be achieved, then we can believe that Imran Khan’s intentions are noble. If all this takes place, then Modi should not let this opportunity pass by,” he said.

Thackeray’s statement came against the backdrop of Khan’s offer for talks to resolve the tensions between the two neighbours in the aftermath of the February 14 suicide bombing in Kashmir and the subsequent developments.

Thackeray said that Khan had not only made an offer right after the Pulwama attack but after the Indian Air Force’s strikes (in Balakot), he had even gone ahead and offered to discuss all aspects pertaining to the Pulwama strike which killed 40 CRPF troopers.

A similar opportunity to resolved issues through talks had cropped up during the tenure of the late Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the then Pakistan President Parvez Musharraf, he pointed out.

“Atalji started the ‘Sada-e-Sarhad’, a bus service up to Lahore, and the ‘Samjhauta Express’ was initiated too. A historic (summit) talk took place in Agra. Unfortunately, it ended with no permanent outcome,” Thackeray recalled.

Stating that the opportunity lost by both nations during the time of Vajpayee had appeared again, Thackeray asked: “If North Korea and South Korea, who were so hostile to each other, can come forward to defuse the conflict between them, then why can’t we?”

Reiterating that a war cannot solve any issue, he said a conflict was damaging and pushes the country behind at all levels; even the Kashmiri population would be crushed and that cannot be allowed.

“Terrorists and terrorism must be ruthlessly eradicateda but for that, to wage a war or (create) a war-like situation for one’s political interest is not right. Both nations should resovle the issues through constructive talks and foster a peaceful environment,” Thackeray appealed to Modi.

Nasheman News : The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka on Thursday locked horns in a Twitter war over India’s pre-emptive strike on terror camps in Pakistan on Tuesday.

Congress state unit president Dinesh Gundu Rao targeted BJP state unit president B.S. Yeddyurappa for his tweet on Wednesday in which he wrote “situation favourable for the BJP” and that the pre-emptive strike would help his party to win 22 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka. 

“#Most disgusting, shameful, irresponsible statement made by @BSYBJP (Yeddyurappa). Using the #J&K situation for political benefit,” Rao wrote on Twitter.

Rao wondered if winning elections was the criterion for the BJP and not the country’s security. He asked Yeddyurappa to clarify if going to war was an electoral strategy of the BJP.

The pre-emptive strike was to avert an imminent terror attack by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit after the February 14 terror blast killed about 40 CRPF troopers travelling in a bus to Srinagar from Jammu near Pulwama in the northern Kashmir state.

Yeddyurappa’s tweet read: “The IAF fighters entered Pakistan on Tuesday and destroyed three terrorist camps, which created a pro-Modi wave across the country. The effect of this will be seen in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.”

Noting that the counter attack by India had enthused the youth of the country, the former Chief Minister said the Prime Minister had shown courage in teaching Pakistan a lesson and in avenging the death of 40 CRPF troopers.

“As (Narendra) Modi said he would avenge every drop of blood, he is showing that he is doing as promised. All have welcomed it. Even opposition parties have welcomed it.”

Clarifying his remarks at Chitradurga in the state’s northwest region, Yeddyurappa later tweeted that his statement was reported out of context.

“I said the situation is favourable for the BJP, which I have been saying for the last couple of months. This is not for the first time I said the BJP in Karnataka would win a minimum of 22 seats under the able leadership of Modi ji.”