New Delhi: Asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not talking to his critics, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Monday urged him to select five critics and have a televised question and answer session on CAA so that people can reach their own conclusions on the amended citizenship law. The Congress leader said he hoped that the prime minister would respond favourably to his suggestion.

“PM says that CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) is meant to give citizenship, not take it away. Many of us believe that CAA (in conjunction with NPR or NRC) will declare many persons as ‘non-citizens’ and take away citizenship,” the former home minister said.

“PM talks from high platforms to silent audiences and does not take questions. We talk through the media and are willing to take questions from media persons,” he added.

The prime minister is not talking to his critics and they do not have an opportunity to talk to him, Chidambaram said in a series of tweets.

“The only way out is for the PM to select five of his most articulate critics and have a televised Q and A session with them. Let the people listen to the discussion and reach their conclusions on CAA,” he said.

Chidambaram’s suggestion comes after Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday termed the CAA a “discriminatory and divisive” law whose “sinister” purpose was to divide people on religious lines, and asserted that the NPR (National Population Register) in form and content was “disguised NRC (National Register of Citizens)”.

Stones were hurled at the rally brought out by BJP workers from six assembly constituencies of the district, at Padam Chowk in Giridih town on Sunday.

GIRIDIH: Two persons have been arrested for allegedly hurling stones at a pro-CAA rally organised by the BJP here, police said on Monday.

Stones were hurled at the rally brought out by BJP workers from six assembly constituencies of the district, at Padam Chowk in Giridih town on Sunday, prompting police to lob teargas shells to control the situation, officials said.

“Two persons were arrested on Sunday night after they were identified from a video footage in which they were seen hurling stones at the rally,” Giridih Nagar police station in-charge Adikant Mahato said.

He said four policemen were injured in the incident.

District Superintendent of Police Surendra Jha said the situation is under control and prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC have been clamped in Giridih town.

Thousands in Mumbai join protests against CAA, JNU violence

Former Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) general secretary Fahad Ahmed told the media that they assembled under the aegis of ‘Hum Bharat Ke Log’ in Millat Nagar area.

MUMBAI: Thousands of citizens on Sunday congregated in Mumbai’s suburban Jogeshwari to oppose the new citizenship law, the proposed NRC and NPR.

They also condemned last Sunday’s violence on the JNU campus in Delhi, where masked men ran riot and attacked students.

Leftist organisations had claimed RSS-affiliated ABVP’s role in the attack, a charge denied by the students’ body.

Former Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) general secretary Fahad Ahmed told PTI that they assembled under the aegis of ‘Hum Bharat Ke Log’ in Millat Nagar area.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi should call 56 students from across the country to debate on the CAA, NRC and NPR,” Ahmed said in an apparent jibe at Modi’s “56-inch chest” remark, which the latter had made ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

“Why the PM is not talking to us? Why is he not communicating? Even the Britishers used to talk to Indians whom they ruled, but our PM is not talking to poor people,” he alleged.

Bollywood actor Sushasht Singh also spoke on the occasion.

“We are people of this country and such acts (CAA) are tarnishing the image of our country,” he said.

At the gathering, people waved banners with slogans like “I Am From Gujarat, My Documents Burned in 2002”, “No CAA, Boycott NRC, Stop Dividing India, Don’t Divide us”, “Save Constitution”, written on them.

A large number of police personnel were present at the venue.

The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which was notified on January 10, grants Indian citizenship to non-Muslim minorities migrated to India from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh till December 31, 2014, following persecution over their faith.

Massive protests were witnessed against the CAA, mainly by the student community, since its passage by Parliament in December last year.

Opposition parties have been dubbing the CAA an “anti-Muslim” legislation, a charge being debunked by the government.

The Congress and other parties like the TMC have also opposed the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR).

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that the government won’t rest until persecuted refugees are granted Indian citizenship.

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The contract for HAL-manufactured 83 LCA Tejas Mark 1 A advanced fighter jets are in the final stages, Ajay Kumar said.

KOLKATA: The government is in the process of acquiring around 200 aircraft to cope with the depleting aerial inventories of the Indian Air Force, defence secretary Ajay Kumar said here on Sunday.

The contract for HAL-manufactured 83 LCA Tejas Mark 1 A advanced fighter jets are in the final stages, he said.

Apart from these, Expression of Interest (EOI) has been floated for another 110 aircraft, based on which Request for Proposal (RFP) will be floated, Kumar said.

“Roughly (for) 200 aircrafts, the acquisition is in process,” he said.

“We are in the process of finalising the contract for 83 Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mark 1 A, which are advanced fighters to meet the urgent needs of India,” the defence secretary told reporters on the sidelines of commissioning Indian Coast Guard vessels here.

Kumar said that the contract for the LCAs will be signed “definitely this year”.

“We want to do it as soon as possible,” the defence secretary said when asked whether a time frame has been finalised by which the new aircraft are to be acquired.

Kumar said that with the design having been finalised, state-run aerospace behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will be ramping up production of the LCA Mark 1 A jets from 8 to 16 per year.

“If required, through outsourcing, we can further enhance it,” he said.

The Air Force has Sukhoi 30 MKIs, Mirage 2000s, Mig 29s and the ageing Jaguars and Mig 21 Bisons in its inventory of fighter jets at present.

The last fleet of seven swing-wing MiG-27 fighters, which played an important role during the 1999 Kargil war, was decommissioned on December 27.

Forex traders said easing crude prices, weakening of the American currency and foreign fund inflows strengthened investor sentiments.

MUMBAI: The rupee appreciated by 12 paise to 70.82 against the US dollar in early trade on Monday tracking positive global cues and higher opening in domestic equities. Forex traders said easing crude prices, weakening of the American currency and foreign fund inflows strengthened investor sentiments.

At the interbank foreign exchange the rupee opened at 70.82 against the US dollar, registering a rise of 12 paise over its previous close. On Friday, rupee had settled for the day at 70.94 against the US dollar. Traders said the appreciation in the rupee was largely on the back of positive global cues.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Sunday said the phase one of the trade deal with China includes them buying USD 200 billion worth of additional products from the US. “It is USD 200 billion of additional products across the board over the next two years, and, specifically, in agriculture, USD 40 billion to USD 50 billion,” Mnuchin told ABC News, days ahead of the signing of the first phase of the deal.

Besides, Iran has agreed that de-escalation ‘only solution’ to solve crisis with US. In a meeting between Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani and the visiting emir of Qatar, both sides agreed de-escalation is the “only solution” to the regional crisis, the emirate’s ruler said.

Meanwhile, domestic bourses opened on a positive note on Monday with benchmark indices Sensex trading 241.10 points higher at 41,840.82 and Nifty up by 66 points at 12,322.80. The dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, fell by 0.02 per cent to 97.33.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) remained net buyers in the capital market, as they purchased shares worth Rs 578.28 crore on Friday, according to provisional exchange data. Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, fell 0.08 per cent to trade at USD 64.93 per barrel. The 10-year government bond yield was at 6.60 per cent in morning trade.