The CPI-M on Monday said that the RSS-BJP was raising the Ram temple issue just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections to deepn communal polaristion and hide the “all-round failure” of the Modi government.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) expressed concern at “alarming statements” being made by BJP-RSS leaders and Union Ministers threatening to create “a 1992-like situation” that led to the razing of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya.

These, the party said in a statement, were posing “grave dangers” to the country’s unity.

“The BJP had officially stated that it shall abide by the apex court judgment. It is now engaging in a volte face as the general elections are drawing close. By whipping up passions over the Ayodhya dispute and raising the demand for the construction of a temple, RSS and BJP aim to sharpen communal polarization in the country, which has horrendous consequences,” it said.

“The effort to consolidate the Hindutva communal vote bank in the run-up to the elections, apart from seeking to divert people’s attention away from the all-round failure of the Modi government, poses grave dangers to our country’s unity and integrity,” it said.

It said that demands for enactment of a law for construction of Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya was tantamount to subversion of the judicial process and was “unconstitutional and illegal”.

The Left party said that “alarming statements” were being made by Union Ministers and the leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its parent organisation the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

“The CPI-M calls upon the central government to stop patronizing such forces who are out to destroy the unity of our country’s social fabric and the BJP state government in Uttar Pradesh to faithfully discharge its responsibilities in maintaining law and order,” it said.

IANS

The BJP on Monday criticised senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge for comparing Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Adolf Hitler and said it was former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi who used the language of former German Chancellor.

“Kharge has gone a step forward. He has called Modi a Hitler. I am shocked. The language of Hitler was used by Indira Gandhi during Emergency,” Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told a press conference.

Hitting out at Kharge he said that the Congress leader, who cannot move a step without the permission from the “family”, is alleging the party which follows all democratic norms.

“It is their desperation. I can understand that. When they sense defeat, they got desperate,” Prasad said.

Speaking at a “Samvidhaan Bachao Parishad” organised in Bandra by the Mumbai Congress, Kharge said on Sunday Modi wants to do to India what dictator Adolf Hitler did to Germany.

“The BJP hasn’t been able to walk four steps in the right direction in the past four years. They don’t have any right to point a finger at the Congress and ask us what has been done in the past 70 years.

“The BJP is trying to bring dictatorship in the country. Modi wants to do to India what Adolf Hitler did to Germany. The Constitution is in danger and we need to fight the BJP’s attempts to destroy it,” Kharge said.

IANS

Former Union Minister P. Chidambaram on Monday took a dig at the BJP for promising statues and temples ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, after failing to fulfil its earlier poll promises of development and jobs.

“At the beginning of five years, the promise is for development, jobs and money in every citizen’s bank account,” the Congress veteran tweeted.

“Nothing achieved, at the end of five years, the new promise is for grand temples, giant statues and doles,” he said as he reminded Prime Minister Narendra Modi of his earlier promises of vikas (development), providing two crore jobs annually and bringing back black money stashed in foreign tax havens and filling up the poor man’s coffer with Rs 15 lakh each.

Chidambaram’s latest jibe at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party comes at a time when the saffron brigade has been raising the pitch for the construction of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday greeted people on the occasion of Dhanteras.

“Greetings on the auspicious occasion of Dhanteras. May this special day enhance the spirit of peace and prosperity in our society,” Modi tweeted.

Expressing joy on the nuclear submarine INS Arihant successfully completing its first deterrence patrol, the Prime Minister said the festival became more special.

“Dhanteras gets even more special! India’s pride, nuclear submarine INS Arihant successfully completed its first deterrence patrol!”

Dhanteras is celebrated two days before Diwali. All purchases made on the occasion are considered to have divine blessings.

Rahul Gandhi tweeted: “Best wishes to the countrymen on the auspicious occasion of Dhanteras. I and the Congress Party wish for your success, prosperity and glory.”

 

IANS

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday accused the Modi government of “looting farmers” in the name of its much touted crop insurance scheme, the “Pradhanmantri Bima Fasal Yojana”.

Taking cognisance of an IANS story in which journalist and farm activist P. Sainath asserted that the crop insurance scheme was a “bigger scam than even the Rafale scam”, Gandhi on Twitter accused Modi of promoting crony capitalism.

“After looting the Air Force in Rafale, now the farmers are being looted in the name of crop insurance. The motive is one: fill thousands of crores of rupees in the accounts of suit-boot friends,” he said in Hindi.

The Congress President has been attacking Modi and his government for corruption in the Rafale jets deal.

“The government’s policies are anti-farmer. The Pradhanmantri Bima Fasal Yojana is a bigger racket than even the Rafale scam,” Sainath said on Friday in Ahmedabad.

IANS

Local police have been directed to arrest those issued warrants before February 19, 2019.
Several farmers from the Belagavi district have reportedly been issued arrest warrants by a Kolkata magistrate court, following a petition filed with them by Axis Bank after the bank alleged that the farmers had defaulted on loans. This comes much after the Karnataka state government had stated that it would issue loan waivers to farmers who were struggling to make ends meet, following several crop failures due to droughts, but those waivers have reportedly been delayed.

The Ninth Metropolitan Magistrate of Kolkata recently issued the warrants, following the petition filed by the bank.

After hearing of the issue, state Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy spoke to the Belagavi Deputy Commissioner to initiate all the measures to protect the farmers and also asked why the warrants were issued despite his order to the banks.

Subsequently, Belagavi Deputy Commissioner has approached the farmers in the region and has asked them to not panic, stating that they would be given appropriate protection. It has been reported that between 60 to 100 farmers have been issued arrest warrants in conjunction with this issue and that the warrants were received by the Belagavi Police Commissioner’s office on October 9, which were then forwarded to the Saundatti police.

Following this, farmer’s movement Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) and Hasiru Sene plan to protest at the Vidhana Soudha on November 19. It has also been reported that other farmers’ organisations, including Karnataka Sugarcane Growers’ Association, may also take part in the protest.

“It has been six months since the government announced the waiver, but there is no sign of it being implemented. The delay has taken a toll on farmers who are getting notices and arrest warrants,” said KRRS president Chamarasa Patil to TOI.

Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy had announced a conditional waiver of farmer loans, setting aside Rs 34,000 crore in the first Budget presented by the JD(S)-Congress coalition government at the Vidhana Soudha in July. He had also declared at the time that all defaulted crop loans up to December 31, 2017, would be waived as well.

However, little action has been seen on that front and the local police have now been directed to arrest those who’ve been issued warrants before February 19, 2019.

Two aircrafts collided mid-air over Ottawa‘s west end on Sunday, which led to one of them crashing in a nearby field, the police said.

Police said one of the aircraft crashed into a field near McGee Side Road just east of the 417 in Carp in rural west Ottawa. The other aircraft was redirected to Ottawa International Airport and safely landed there, sustaining only minor damage, Canada’s CBC news reported.

Paramedics are on the scene and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada is investigating.

Police say it is not yet known how many people were aboard each plane or whether any injuries have been reported.

It’s not clear what type of aircraft were involved and how the collision occurred.

The crash is the second in the Carp area in less than a month.

In mid-October, an ultra-light plane crashed on a road, narrowly missing a house and leaving the pilot seriously injured.

IANS

The Bihar government on Sunday dismissed 175 police constables and suspended 23 police officials for rampaging in the city after the death of a female colleague, who was reportedly denied leave despite being ill.

More than 300 police constables had gone on a rampage here on November 2, damaging properties and attacking police officers, after a woman colleague who had reportedly been refused leave died.

Of the 175 police constables dismissed, most were trainees.

The government also suspended 23 police officials, including havildars and assistant sub-inspectors.

According to officials, the action was taken after a high-level meeting of top police officers here.

Hours after the police constables went on a rampage, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar asked Bihar police chief K.S. Dwivedi to submit a detailed report at the earliest.